Roberto De Zerbi needs to improve Tottenham Hotspur‘s balance between dealing with and approaching non-penalty set-pieces ahead of facing Sunderland.
The Italian is preparing for his first game in charge at Tottenham after being appointed on a five-year deal following the dismissal of Igor Tudor last month.
The 46-year-old has been tasked with keeping Tottenham in the Premier League, with Spurs currently one point and one place above the relegation zone.
They could drop into the bottom three for the first time this season as 18th-placed West Ham host Premier League basement side Wolves on Friday night.
As Tottenham try end a barren spell without a win, the sheer challenge De Zerbi has on his hands has reared into full view.
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Tottenham must fix set-piece issues
Tottenham haven’t won in the league since beating Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park on 28 December. Since then, Spurs have parted ways with managers Thomas Frank and Tudor.
They do have a good record against Sunderland, though. Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games against the Mackems (10 wins and five draws) since a 3-1 loss in April 2010.
However, they haven’t won any of their last 13 league games, including eight losses and five draws.
Only once in their league history have Tottenham had a longer run without victory, going 16 matches from December 1934 to April 1935.
That run has seen them plummet from a mid-table team to one fighting for their lives to stay in the Premier League, whilst also being the reigning Europa League champions.
Ahead of facing Sunderland, statistics show that only Leeds United (35.1 per cent) have scored a higher proportion of their Premier League goals this season from non-penalty set-plays than Tottenham (35 per cent, 14/40).
Conversely, only 20th-placed Wolves (11 per cent) and Brentford (16.7 per cent) have seen a lower share of their goals conceded come from non-penalty set-pieces than Spurs (18 per cent and 9/50).
There are lots of issues facing Tottenham but this is one area they may want to address. Fixing this imbalance could be key to their survival.
Roberto De Zerbi eyes the right side of Tottenham history
One of Tottenham’s biggest concerns is their injury list, with Mohammed Kudus the latest to suffer a setback in his recovery.
While Tottenham have had very little to cheer about for a long time, their away record is much better than their one at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In fact, 20 of their 30 points in the Premier League this season have come on their travels. Only Ipswich Town in 2024-25 have ever had a higher proportion of their points in a season in the competition come away from home (68 per cent – 15/22).
Incidentally, only one of the last 10 Tottenham managers have lost their first Premier League game in charge of the club (six wins and three draws).
That unlucky one was Tudor, as Spurs lost 4-1 to Arsenal in February. De Zerbi did fail to win any of his opening five league games at Brighton but he has won his first game in charge at Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille.
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