How Roberto De Zerbi is adapting to help Tottenham battle Premier League relegation
Tottenham climbed out of the relegation zone on Sunday, picking up a massive win over Aston Villa. It was also their second win in a row and they are now unbeaten in three games.
Things are somehow looking bright, which wasn’t true at all under Igor Tudor. To many, this is a bit unexpected too. De Zerbi’s reputation is one of someone who is combative on and off the pitch, he calls players out, demands higher standards and doesn’t rest until his ideas are fully in place.
The Italian has made that change at Tottenham, appearing soft, moderated and much more adaptive in how he deals with the media.
If anything, it was Tudor who appeared to demand higher standards from Spurs players every time he entered a press conference room. He often appeared negative in a situation which was anyway negative for the club. Players who were surrounded with gloom were kicked further instead of being made to believe in their abilities which have been obvious for many years now.
De Zerbi has probably understood the assignment better than Tudor. Instead of being his demanding self, he has toned down, made it clear that the players have what it takes to win games.
Last month, he famously said Tottenham can win every game, saying: “Every one of us knows it is a tough moment, a difficult situation, but we have another five games, 15 points, and this team is able to win five games in a row.”
That was very hopeful at that point, leaving many fans confused. But that has worked well, with Spurs getting seven points from a possible nine.
Instead of adding to the negativity, he offered hope to fans that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Before the Villa game, he called out the press for spreading negativity and chose to focus on what they have.
“The voice says, ‘we are unlucky, we have too many injuries, we lost Xavi Simons and he was the last two games one of the best players and most important players for us, our medical staff is not good enough and the pitch of the stadium is not good, the pitch of the training ground is not good, it is impossible to win two or three games in a row because we have not won too many games in 2026.’
“I think it is all negative things and it is rubbish.”
“I heard no, that it is impossible, we are crying everyone and we are relegated. But no, not yet. And we have to die on the pitch and to die on the pitch we have to lose the game.”
In a lot of ways, this approach seems very un-De Zerbi like. It doesn’t fit well with his image, which has been the direct opposite ever since his time at Sassuolo.
Now, he has adapted and that is a very good sign for the Italian and his future in general. Generally, he is more associated with rigidity – in playing style and management. But that has toned down to meet the demand of the massive task he has at hand.
It is quite clear that a club of Tottenham’s stature can’t go down and De Zerbi has understood the assignment well. That is the priority but at the same time, he has put the building blocks of his approach in place. It was very evident against Villa, as players covered a lot of ground, pressed high, exploited spaces, passed in triangles and it is something one associates with De Zerbi’s teams.
It isn’t perfect yet but there are increasing signs that it is finally in the right direction.
Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN
