Joe Hart feels Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi are “really impressive” and they are “not the Spurs we have been used to” in a good way after the draw against Brighton.
Spurs have been in trouble for a while. That trouble has looked recently like it might almost be too much to handle, with the north London club’s loss against Sunderland on April 12 ensuring they remained in the Premier League relegation places, where they dropped down after West Ham beat Wolves to climb above them.
The Sunderland loss was the first of new manager De Zerbi’s tenure, and it looked like after his first loss, he might have been about to follow that up with his first victory, against Brighton, on Saturday.
Tottenham were 2-1 up as the 90 minutes passed, but in a hefty chunk of added time, Georgino Rutter scored to level the game at 2-2, ensuring Spurs are still 18th, one point below the Hammers.
Though Tottenham didn’t gain a crucial three points, former goalkeeper Hart feels there were positives to take from the game.
He said on Match of the Day: “He has identified what he doesn’t want to see, but what he wanted to see was to get that stadium rocking.
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“The way that they pressed was really good, really impressive in fact. It is not the Spurs we have been used to; it is not the Spurs we have seen this season.
“He wanted to set the atmosphere: every single one of his players is running forward with intent, blocking passing lanes, and forcing Brighton to be perfect.”
There is positivity in that, as if every side who plays Spurs have to be perfect between now and the end of the season, there’s a good chance the struggling side will pick up some vital points.
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But with that said, Tottenham made strides but still were not able to get over the line against Brighton, despite being 2-1 up after the initial 90 minutes had passed.
As such, even if they play to a good level, there’s a sense that they could still let clubs back into games. With only five games to go, and two of those coming against top-six clubs, in Aston Villa and Chelsea, opportunities to get the points they so desperately need are slipping away.