Roberto De Zerbi will take charge of his first of seven cup finals as Tottenham Hotspur manager today, beginning his reign at Sunderland as he tries to guide the club to safety in the Premier League.
De Zerbi took the reins following Igor Tudor’s winless 44-day reign of error, with Tottenham in the thick of a relegation battle. West Ham’s win over Wolves on Friday night means their London rivals start the day in the bottom three.
The Italian will need to flip the club’s fortunes and fast but it is not yet clear whether he has the complete backing of the fanbase due to his historic comments surrounding Mason Greenwood, controversy he did address in his first interview as Tottenham boss.
He will hope to justify the board’s decision to hand him a lucrative five-year contract swiftly but face tough opposition in Sunderland, who come into the clash off the high of a Tyne-Wear derby win at St James’s Park.