It is somewhat ironic to be advising a manager as notoriously hot-headed as Roberto De Zerbi to tell his Tottenham Hotspur players to calm down during matches.
Keeping a level head has seemingly been an impossible task at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but correcting this promises to be the difference between survival and relegation.
As tactically dismal as Spurs have been during too many matches this season, they have a wider problem to tackle: unenforced errors at the worst possible times.
Antonin Kinsky’s error-strewn performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League horribly encapsulated this rot. While Igor Tudor was rightly lambasted for playing him in the first place, the goalkeeper effectively threw two goals into his own net.
Despite sporting the captain’s armband, Cristian Romero has been too rash on numerous occasions, with his teammates falling under the spell of his shakiness and red flashes.
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If Tottenham are to stay in the Premier League next month, all this will have to change.
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How many errors have Tottenham made this season?
The picture De Zerbi has inherited is not a pretty one.
In the space of just five matches, he will have to lift spirits off the floor, bring about stability and restore an attacking thrust that has been sorely missed this campaign. As if that wasn’t already a tall enough task, the Italian will also need to clamp down on sloppy mistakes.
According to The Athletic, Spurs actually led the whole of the top-flight for errors leading to a shot or goal over the first 16 matches of the season, committing 20. They were remarkably consistent on this front over the next 15 games, making 19 and placing third overall.
These slip-ups have stemmed from both shattered confidence and structural failings. The former will take time to fix, but De Zerbi can get straight to work in addressing the latter.
Under Thomas Frank and Tudor, Tottenham’s midfield resembled a black hole. Players timed their sprints poorly, which opened up gaping spaces. Then, further forward, Spurs’ forwards too often looked to push up without the necessary support behind them.
In a nutshell, this reduced the number of teammates around them, narrowing passing options. When there were no clear avenues to exploit, sloppy giveaways were commonplace.
De Zerbi would do well to knit his team together, instructing them to move as one. Each bank should push up according to triggers, and after Spurs win back possession, they will have options both short and in behind – hallmarks of their new head coach’s style of play.
His tactics at both Brighton and Marseille revolved heavily around passing patterns and drawing out opponents, which carries an element of risk and heavy individual responsibility.
It will be a lot for a squad battered and bruised by recent results to take in, but they have little choice but to clamp down on their mistakes and get on board. If they don’t, or show they are simply unable to, De Zerbi will have no hesitation in shipping them out.
There have been multiple glaring errors resulting in goals this term – seven, in fact, since December 15. Each of them was down to players making the wrong decisions.
Radu Dragusin and Yves Bissouma helped gift a goal apiece to Manchester City in a 2-2 draw back in February, while during the 4-1 battering at the hands of Arsenal just a few weeks later, Dragusin again and Djed Spence were culpable.
These errors have left Spurs sparring from the back foot.
In the image below, Dragusin can be seen getting too tight to Viktor Gyokeres, which allowed the striker to lay off to Eberechi Eze. Quickly, the ball was in the back of the net.
In this screenshot, Spence’s attempt to shield the ball on the touchline was poor. Gabriel Martinelli won back possession seconds before Gyokeres bent home Arsenal’s fourth goal.
Damningly, Tottenham’s league-high three red cards also picked up during the same period were not factored in, proving that ill-discipline has cost them, too.
It is good news, then, that De Zerbi has already made a good impression in training.
Roberto De Zerbi must fix tactical problems
Too many players have been responsible for high-profile mistakes.
During the first 16 top-flight matches this season, Pedro Porro led the way in errors leading to an opposition shot, with five. Spurs’ desire to play out usually led them to find the full-back out wide, who was given very little support.
Spence, playing on the other side of the backline, has been just as poor in the 15 games since, making six errors before a shot. Of those blunders, two resulted in goals.
Both defenders will argue, quite rightly, that limited options down the touchline have forced them to turn back inside, where they have been crowded out. De Zerbi must, therefore, find a way to release his midfielders, who would then be able to receive the ball and turn.
It is nothing short of alarming that a team packed with so many standout names has continually failed to find these solutions themselves, but clearly, they badly need help.
De Zerbi has been parachuted into the middle of a crisis to do just that, but only time will tell whether he has the answers.
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