BBC Sport's tactics correspondent Umir Irfan breaks down what Roberto de Zerbi will try to implement at Tottenham and some of the challenges he may face as he tries to keep them in the Premier League.
Clubs at risk of relegation tend to hire pragmatic coaches.
But that is not how you would describe new Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi.
The Italian is known for his attacking style of possession-based football, and has stayed true to his footballing ideas throughout his managerial career.
Three years after starting in management in Italy's fourth division, De Zerbi was in charge of Serie A side Palermo, where he struggled to showcase his initial potential. When he was sacked, newly promoted Benevento hired him, but relegation followed.
Despite that, De Zerbi's reputation was boosted - and he has enjoyed much success since.
The 46-year-old's quality is clear but his system relies on smart and technical players more than most tactical plans.
So what tactics will De Zerbi implement at Spurs, and will this relegation-threatened group of players be able to execute them?
Looking at De Zerbi's Brighton and Marseille sides, you soon notice how often they repeat certain patterns of play.
When building up, the idea is to draw opponents towards defenders on the ball before using quick passing routines to find free players facing forward. They are better positioned to play the ball up the pitch quickly into the attackers.
When it works, De Zerbi's sides turn possession in their own half into shots near the opposition's goal within a few seconds. It's an electrifying watch - but the level of potential attacking reward comes with great risk.
De Zerbi's approach requires defensive players to take responsibility with the ball - delaying actions until they have forced opponents to press them.
In a recent training clip,, external he was seen coaching his new players through concepts to make his tactics easier to implement. For central defenders under no pressure, the advice was to take many touches. De Zerbi's centre-backs often provoke opponents by placing their studs on top of the ball - a sort of psychological trick that causes a striker to leave their shape and engage.
Two central midfielders are usually in close proximity to the central defenders. The midfielders receiving passes are often tightly marked, and De Zerbi's advice for them this week was to take one or two touches.
The ball doesn't stay with these players long to minimise the risk of losing the ball in dangerous areas. They instead act as a wall to bounce the ball off to nearby team-mates, who have lost their marker and can play forward under less pressure.
De Zerbi echoed the sentiments of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta when he spoke to his team this week - highlighting the abundance of man-to-man defensive schemes in the Premier League.
His teams, like the rest of the league, will face tight pressure across the pitch and - through these choreographed passing routines - the aim is to accept that intense pressure is inevitable and look for solutions through it, rather than avoiding it.
It is the opposite approach to that of Thomas Frank, who was named Spurs boss in the summer but was sacked in February.
Frank's Spurs opted to build up almost exclusively down the sides of the pitch. Instead of playing four or five players close together in the middle, Spurs usually had two central defenders and one midfielder in the centre.
The flanks, meanwhile, were overloaded with three or four players and long balls were often played into the channel, where Spurs were more likely to win it.
Frank's wide build-up minimised the risk associated with playing through the centre.
Brighton under De Zerbi accepted that risk, conceding the second-most high turnovers that led to an opposition shot (48) during his first season.
Frank's approach results in fewer dangerous chances being created in open play, but it it is a risk De Zerbi is willing to accept for the quality of chances his sides can create when it works.
Comparing that Brighton squad with the current Spurs squad, we see fewer players capable of thriving technically under pressure in small spaces - but the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Xavi Simons and Archie Gray may relish the challenge.
And we should keep in mind that Ange Postecoglou - Frank's predecessor - will have drilled habits into his players that will be helpful under the new regime.
Like De Zerbi, Postecoglou opted for a risky short-passing game that looked to penetrate teams through central play. Goalkeepers have been key for both men's systems - commonly becoming a third defender in possession, looking to break lines and find midfielders down the middle of the pitch.
As Manchester United discovered with Ruben Amorim, it is a gamble to bring in a coach known for moulding teams to a system he has in mind rather than adapting his system to the players he has at his disposal. That is exacerbated when the team is in the midst of a relegation battle.
But of the managers available to Spurs at this moment, De Zerbi has arguably reached the highest peak in recent years - and Guardiola has called him "one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years".
The swinging pendulum of managerial styles Spurs have had over the past 12 months adds another thread of uncertainty, but by building on the attacking principles Spurs adopted under Postecoglou, and the defensive ideas Tudor tried but failed to implement, De Zerbi may not be starting from scratch.
For a fragile Spurs side seemingly out of ideas, perhaps his choreographed style of play can simplify the decision-making process for players, and help them pick up the points they desperately need to survive.
Goodbye for now
Let's end - for now - on that positive note.
Thanks for joining us to assess the fallout from Liverpool's first-leg defeat at PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Your messages on this topic have been great - we have published a cross section.
And you have also had your say on our three polls this morning:
Do you have faith in Slot?
Can Liverpool overturn the tie and progress?
Should Slot use more of Salah?
If you have not already, click on the links to take part in the polls.
And join us again soon as we bring you Premier League news conferences this afternoon.
Until then...
Is there a battle in Merseyside for Champions League?
Everton haven't played in Europe's elite competition since 1970. They haven't played any European football since 2017. But are they battling their biggest rivals Liverpool for that fifth spot in the Champions League?
Liverpool currently sit in that special fifth place and remain five and six points behind Aston Villa in fourth and Manchester United in third. But they are far from comfortable.
A point separates them and Chelsea in sixth, and another two keep Brentford and the Toffees in the race behind. And Liverpool still have to play all three of them.
There is no predicting who will pick up points where at this stage of the season but if the gap remains the same, Everton would draw level with their neighbours next weekend if they secure a victory in the Merseyside derby.
Race for fifth place in the Premier League
Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent
The race for fifth place in the Premier League, currently held by Liverpool on 49 points, is exceptionally tight.
Just seven points separate Arne Slot's side from 13th-placed Bournemouth.
Chelsea (48) sit in sixth followed by Brentford (46), Everton (46), Fulham (44), Brighton (43), Sunderland (43), Newcastle (42) and Bournemouth (42).
If Aston Villa, who are fourth on 54 points, win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, the Premier League would have six teams in the Champions League.
The same logic applies to Liverpool, who face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.
If either win a European trophy and finish fifth, then sixth would qualify for the Champions League via the EPS place.
If both win European trophies and finish fifth and sixth, that would put seventh into the Champions League.
Nottingham Forest are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. They could emulate Tottenham by winning the competition and finishing in the bottom half of the table.
Just like last season, that would create a sixth team in the Champions League for the Premier League too.
What was said on social media?
PSG 2-0 Liverpool
Here's are some of the highlights from social media's response to last night's game:
Arne Slot's approach is coming under fire, with @AnfieIdFix, external noting how "for the past year Slot has moaned about how Premier League teams don't want to play football, and always references PSG as an example of a team which plays football "the right way" - now he has the chance to play PSG again and he comes out with a back 5, parks the bus and plays like Tony Pulis."
Mo Salah watching the final 15 minutes of the game from the bench didn't feel right to some fans. As @Sbzcomps, external writes, without consideration for recent form, "when youâre chasing a game and need a moment you at least give a player like Salah a cameo."
Opposition fans such as @MarkGoldbridge, external are taking the opportunity to enjoy themselves: "No bias but I genuinely think Liverpool should keep Slot next season. There's definitely a chance he can make them great again if they give him a few years."
Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant , externalsummarised Liverpool fans' despair: "This is a disaster. Slot, you won the league last year with a style of play and DNA of Liverpool that Klopp built. This team is now close to unrecognisableâ¦"
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We asked for your views on what Roberto de Zerbi should be looking to change or introduce in order to get some quick success as Tottenham prepare to take on their final seven Premier League fixtures of the season.
As the third man to take up a managerial position at the club in 2025-26, what does the Italian boss need to do differently to his predecessors to help the club avoid relegation?
Take a look at some of the data we unearthed on the post below this one and here are some of your suggestions:
Drew: He must look forensically at videos from the last 10 to 15 league games, identify anyone not putting a shift in, and not select them for the remainder of the season because they clearly have no desire to compete. It will be fate that either keeps Spurs up or sends Spurs down to the Championship. I hope he gives some of the youngsters a chance to shine.
John: Spurs must display more focused passion while playing. The manager must drop anyone not committed to the cause, no matter how important we think they are in this relegation battle. The team and its spirit come first, always!
Kevin: He needs to improve the team's mental stability. In every position, especially in the back line, we are playing very tentatively and it's got nothing to do with the players' technical skill sets.
Frank: I agree that the players must unite and put in effort but, after reading the gossip column, it looks like Bissouma, Vicario and Romero are all looking at get out options so it's hard to believe that they, and some of the others, are truly committed to the club.
Following their 1-1 draw in January, Sunderland are looking to avoid defeat in both Premier League meetings with Spurs in a season for the first time since 2008-09 (W1 D1).
Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games against Sunderland (W10 D5) since a 3-1 loss in April 2010.
Sunderland have lost each of their last three Premier League home games but havenât lost more league games in a row at the Stadium of Light since September 2017 in the Championship (4), and last did so in the top-flight in October 2013 (4).
Tottenham Hotspur remain winless in 13 Premier League games (D5 L8); only once in their league history have they had a longer run without victory, going 16 matches from December 1934 to April 1935.
Sunderland have won two of their last three Premier League games (L1), as many as their previous 12 beforehand (W2 D5 L5), and could win back-to-back league matches for only the second time this season, last doing so in October.
Exactly two-thirds of Tottenham Hotspurâs points in the Premier League this season have come away from home (20/30); only Ipswich Town in 2024-25 have ever had a higher proportion of their points in a season in the competition come on their travels (68% - 15/22).
Only Leeds (35.1%) have scored a higher proportion of their Premier League goals this season from non-penalty set-plays than Tottenham Hotspur (35.0% - 14/40), while only Wolves (11%) and Brentford (16.7%) have seen a lower share of their goals conceded come from non-penalty set-pieces than Spurs (18.0% - 9/50).
Only one of the last 10 Tottenham managers have lost their first Premier League game in charge of the club (W6 D3), however that was Igor Tudor (1-4 v Arsenal in February). Meanwhile, Roberto De Zerbi has won his first league game at three of the last four clubs heâs been in charge of (Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille) with the only exception coming in the Premier League with Brighton (3-3 v Liverpool), failing to win any of his first five league encounters with the Seagulls (D2 L3).
Chemsdine Talbi has scored four Premier League goals this season; the only player to score more while aged 20 or younger in a single campaign in the competition for Sunderland is Danny Welbeck in 2010-11 (6).
Tottenham Hotspurâs Richarlison has scored nine Premier League goals this season and could hit double figures for the fifth time in the competition, after 2018-19 (13), 2019-20 (13), 2021-22 (10), and 2023-24 (11). He would be the second Brazilian to score 10+ goals five times in the Premier League, after Roberto Firmino.
Tottenham choose Manchester City goalkeeper as Guglielmo Vicario replacement, Liverpool monitor Italy defender, Manchester United set to miss out on England midfielder.
Tottenham are considering a move for Manchester City and England goalkeeper James Trafford, 23, as a replacement for Italy's Guglielmo Vicario, with Inter Milan interested in the 29-year-old. (Sun), external
Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 25, is preparing to submit a transfer request to pave the way for a summer move to Real Madrid. (El Chiringuito, via Goal), external
England defender Harry Maguire, 33, snubbed a move to Inter Miami before signing a new contract with Manchester United, where he wants to finish his career. (Sun), external
Liverpool have joined Newcastle in monitoring 21-year-old Italy defender Marco Palestra, who is currently on loan at Cagliari from Atalanta. (Teamtalk), external
Manchester United will sell Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte, 24, this summer with Galatasaray, Newcastle and Tottenham all interested. (Fabrizio Romano), external
United look like missing out on England midfielder Elliot Anderson, though, with the 23-year-old preferring to move to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest this summer. (Mirror), external
Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado is open to leaving the club this summer after the 22-year-old Spain player lost his place in the first-choice XI. (SER Catalunya), external
Turkish side Fenerbahce want to sign Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma in the summer. The 29-year-old Mali international has only played eight times this season. (TurkishFootball), external
Tottenham and Chelsea are both looking at signing Sporting midfielder Maxi Araujo. The 26-year-old can play as a left winger or wing-back and is a regular for Uruguay. (CaughtOffside), external
Crystal Palace are close to signing 16-year-old left-back Harris Afzal - dubbed the next Andy Robertson - from Queen's Park. (TeamTalk), external
Chelsea are looking to bring former Brighton defender Valentin Barco from their sister club Strasbourg this summer. The 21-year-old only made six Premier League appearances for Brighton but has been capped by Argentina. (FourFourTwo), external
There are 21 points left up for grabs in the 2025-26 Premier League season and every one of those will matter for those near the bottom of the table.
Who will survive and who will be relegated to the Championship?
West Ham currently sit in 18th, with Tottenham one point above the drop, Nottingham Forest three ahead and Leeds four.
Here's a look at the four clubs' final seven games of the season.
West Ham face bottom club Wolves on Friday - their first of four home games in the run-in.
The Hammers then face Brentford, Everton and Newcastle, who are all chasing a European spot, and current league leaders Arsenal.
If it goes down to the wire, then the final game of the season between West Ham and Leeds could be all or nothing.
Unlike West Ham, Tottenham have more away games in their run-in.
Yet that could in fact favour Spurs given they possess the worst home record in the Premier League this season, having won just two of their 16 home games.
Roberto de Zerbi will need to make an immediate impact as they travel to Sunderland and then host his former club Brighton the following week.
Spurs host Leeds on 11 May in what could be an important game in the fight for survival, before two tricky final games against Chelsea and Everton.
Nottingham Forest and Leeds have three and four-point buffers to the drop zone respectively - but they will play more games than Tottenham and West Ham as they are both still in cup competitions.
Forest have still got to play three of the current top six, as well as European-chasing Newcastle and Bournemouth.
Should they progress to the Europa League semi-finals then both legs will have to be played either side of their trip to Stamford Bridge on 4 May.
Leeds' FA Cup semi-final - also against Chelsea - will be played three days after their visit to Bournemouth.
And it is Leeds who have to play the most teams near the bottom, with four of their seven remaining fixtures against the current bottom four.
Tottenham will not entertain offers below 50m euros (£43.6m) for their captain Cristian Romero, with the Argentina defender wanted by Atletico Madrid. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Mikey Moore has confirmed he hopes to return to Tottenham Hotspur at the end of his loan to Rangers and win a place in the Premier League club's first team.
The 18-year-old winger is featured in a short documentary on the English club's YouTube channel.
"I just want to go back to Tottenham and hopefully get myself a place in the team," he said.
"Obviously we have got that experience of winning that trophy in the Europa League and that's what I want to do at Tottenham. I just want to bring them special moments to the fans really."
Moore recalled that, after breaking through into the Spurs first team, his progress was halted last season when he was sidelined for six weeks with the myocarditis virus that resulted in heart pain.
However, he has recovered his form in Glasgow and hopes to leave Ibrox a title winner having fallen in love with Rangers.
"For me, this is the best move I could have possibly had," he added.
"I want to play under pressure and under expectation. I don't like the idea of going somewhere and it just being another day. Any person you speak to who's played for Rangers, it's the same.
"Winning is just part of the culture and part of what these people are. It's mad to play under that expectation and it's perfect for a player like me. I want to play under that as a young player."