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Italian has uphill battle to keep struggling Spurs in the Premier League

Big ask: Roberto De Zerbi

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Sam Tabuteau

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Roberto De Zerbi will be under no illusions as to the size of the task he has inherited after becoming Tottenham manager.

With just seven games to go, Spurs find themselves 17th in the Premier League table, one point above the relegation zone.

They could be in the bottom three by the time they face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light next Sunday, and De Zerbi will be expected to make an immediate impact.

The Italian has signed a long-term contract, but his priority will be to ensure Spurs stay in the Premier League, and there are a number of glaring issues he will need to address if he is to turn around the club’s fortunes.

Standard Sport highlights seven things De Zerbi must change to keep Spurs in the Premier League...

Sort out the leaky defence

When Igor Tudor arrived as interim manager at Tottenham in February, he did so with a reputation for attacking football.

Said attacking flair was in short supply during his disastrous seven-game spell at the helm, but it also came at the expense of any defensive solidity, with his side shipping 20 goals in all competitions.

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Attacking injuries have provided somewhat of an explanation for Spurs’ shortcomings in the final third, but their defensive issues have been structural, with a lack of organisation and responsibility colouring their recent performances.

Spurs have to go back to New Year’s Day to find the last time they kept a Premier League clean sheet, and shoring up the defence will be high on De Zerbi’s list of priorities.

Earn the trust of Romero

Cristian Romero has faced his fair share of criticism this season, having struggled to lead by example as the team’s captain.

Suspension prevented him from making much of an impact under Tudor, but he will be a key figure heading into the final weeks of the season.

De Zerbi’s fiery personality should get the right reaction from Romero, and the Argentine has shown throughout his time at Spurs that he can be a positive force from which others can gain encouragement.

Alternatively, failure to get Romero on side will see a squad already low on confidence and continually criticised for their commitment to the club’s situation continue to slide towards relegation.

Key man: Cristian Romero

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Bring Simons in from the cold

One of several players to see his commitment brought into question in recent weeks has been Xavi Simons.

The Dutch midfielder was used sparingly by Tudor, with the Croatian appearing to question his mentality throughout his ill-fated spell in charge, leaving him on the bench in each of Spurs’ last three league games.

Simons, though, is currently Spurs’ only fit and available creative outlet, and as he demonstrated by scoring twice in the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid, he has the attacking quality to take control of situations in the final third.

There is a place in De Zerbi’s side for Simons, and while his relationship with Tudor was strained, he has the opportunity for a fresh start under the former Brighton boss.

Get Gray and Bergvall playing alongside each other

Archie Gray has rightly received a lot of plaudits for his dutiful performances across a number of positions for Spurs this season.

The versatile Englishman has played at full-back, centre-back and in midfield as Spurs have looked for answers amid a spree of injuries this term.

Gray’s favoured position, though, remains in the centre of midfield, and his energy and application appear to complement what De Zerbi wants from his midfielders.

The future: Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray

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The return of Lucas Bergvall from an ankle injury means De Zerbi could look to play the pair alongside each other in midfield, a decision that would prove popular with supporters.

Gray’s tenacity out of possession and Bergvall’s ability to stretch the play in behind make them an interesting partnership, which could help to remedy Spurs’ lack of balance in transition.

Put an arm around Kinsky

Guglielmo Vicario’s hernia surgery was “timed” for the international break in order to minimise the number of games he would miss, but it remains unclear exactly when he will return to action.

This means that Antonin Kinsky, who has not played since his nightmare performance away to Atletico Madrid last month, is expected to start against Sunderland next weekend and will deputise in goal until Vicario is fit again.

De Zerbi has to make a quick start to get supporters on side, and he can’t afford not to be able to rely on Kinsky.

The mental pressure on Kinsky to react to his performance against Atletico will be huge, and it is important that he feels he has the support of De Zerbi, with Spurs in desperate need of a first league win since December 28.

Restore Van de Ven’s confidence

No Spurs player has seen their performances dip more dramatically this season than Micky van de Ven.

The Dutch centre-half has routinely been touted with moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona during his time in north London, but he has looked a shadow of the player he once was and, crucially, failed to step up as vice-captain as Romero faced a four-game suspension following his sending off against Manchester United.

Reality check: Micky van de Ven

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De Zerbi needs to address Spurs’ defensive issues, and in order to do so, he needs Van de Ven and Romero to find form and confidence again.

Van de Ven is not the ball-playing defender De Zerbi typically looks for, but at his best, he remains one of the most athletically imposing defenders in the Premier League.

Temper his fiery approach

De Zerbi is a combustible character, famed for his fiery personality and no-nonsense approach.

As Tudor proved, though, tough love is not necessarily the way to conjure a reaction out of this current crop of Spurs players.

De Zerbi has a greater reputation in England than his predecessor, following a successful stint at Brighton, but he still needs to be careful with how he communicates his points.

The severity of Spurs’ situation is clear, but this is also a group of players low on confidence. De Zerbi needs to foster a sense of collective responsibility rather than the blame culture that underpinned Tudor’s reign.

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Matt Verri

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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One final roll of the dice for Tottenham to prevent an embarrassing season becoming an historically disastrous one.

They have dared to back Roberto De Zerbi to do what Igor Tudor - the supposed interim specialist - could not and stave off the relegation threat.

For all he has signed a five-year contract, that feels almost irrelevant. De Zerbi has managed more than 90 matches at a club only once. His scope right now is seven games.

Spurs have turned to the most fiery of characters as their firefighter. The Italian is a demanding, volatile figure.

Tottenham have appointed De Zerbi on a five-year contract

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At Marseille, the club he left in February, he had angry clashes with players and De Zerbi previously left Brighton due to irreconcilable differences with the club’s hierarchy.

Those issues at Brighton were often around recruitment and tension with his Spurs bosses on that theme seems likely.

But those are issues for another day. More of an urgent concern is whether De Zerbi can get an instant tune out of this squad.

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Tudor tried the tough love approach and it backfired. He was an interim manager, though, who was certain to leave in the summer. The players cannot try to wait out De Zerbi.

The Italian is far more of an innovator and his training sessions will be more engaging compared to the running focus of Tudor. Within the game, few are more highly rated.

De Zerbi wants to play an aggressive style of play, taking risks in building up from the back and then attacking at pace with numbers.

It is yet another shift in philosophy from one manager to another at Spurs, again lurching between extremes.

On the pitch De Zerbi’s football will in theory be far more to the liking of the Spurs supporters. Pep Guardiola is a keen admirer and De Zerbi is perhaps the most talented coach currently available.

The major question is whether he can implement his ideas effectively in such a short period of time and with a group starved of any confidence.

De Zerbi has seven games to save Spurs from relegation to the Championship

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De Zerbi made a good start at Marseille but that was after a full pre-season. At Palermo in 2016, he was sacked within three months after winning just once in 13 games. In the 2017-18 season, De Zerbi did not win any of his first nine matches and Benevento were relegated.

Those were both jobs he took mid-season, as it was at Brighton when the Italian began with a five-match winless run.

De Zerbi asks a lot of his goalkeeper and centre-backs in inviting the press. At Tottenham, often an anxious cauldron, those demands will be even tougher to meet.

In a 2023 interview, Lewis Dunk revealed how difficult it was to adapt to De Zerbi. “The first couple of weeks were horrendous... I wouldn’t say horrendous, they were baffling,” Dunk said. “Roberto came in and it was a carnage two weeks.” At least De Zerbi’s English is now much better, removing one key obstacle.

However, he will have sections of the fanbase to win over. Several supporter groups have urged the club not to appoint De Zerbi because of his support for Mason Greenwood.

The Italian signed Greenwood for Marseille in 2024, two years after he was charged with attempted rape and assault. The Crown Prosecution Service discontinued that case.

De Zerbi said Greenwood was a “good guy” who had paid a “heavy price”. Women of the Lane said those comments raised “serious” questions over De Zerbi’s judgement and that “this is not an appointment Tottenham Hotspur should make”.

Spurs have long needed a unifying figure in the dugout to bring all sections of the club together. Mauricio Pochettino would have been that man in the summer; De Zerbi is certainly not.

His appointment is a risk on and off the pitch. Spurs’ dire situation means any decision would have been a gamble but this one must pay off.

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Standard Sport

Matt Verri

COMMENTS

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Tottenham are facing a backlash over their move for Roberto De Zerbi over his previous support for Mason Greenwood.

Several Spurs supporters’ groups claim De Zerbi should not be appointed because of his comments about Greenwood at Marseille.

De Zerbi is in advanced talks to take over at Spurs after being offered a five-year contract following the departure of Igor Tudor.

Spurs are increasingly confident of landing the Italian to take over immediately as they attempt to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

But their move for De Zerbi has been opposed by some Spurs fans because of the way he supported Greenwood.

De Zerbi managed Greenwood at Marseille

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Greenwood was arrested on January 31, 2022 on suspicion of rape and assault. He was further arrested on February 1, 2022 on suspicion of sexual assault and making threats to kill. He was charged in the October with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Greenwood had denied the charges.

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He had been due to stand trial in November 2023 but the charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service [CPS] in early February 2023.

The CPS said “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction”.

So what did De Zerbi say about Greenwood?

Last November, De Zerbi insisted Greenwood was a “good guy” while suggesting he had paid a “heavy price” over the criticism he received after his arrest in 2022 on suspicion of rape and assault. Greater Manchester Police later dropped charges.

Greenwood’s move from Manchester United to Marseille was a major controversy in France but De Zerbi refused to criticise him during his time at the Ligue 1 club.

When asked about a proposed deal for Greenwood before he signed, De Zerbi said: “Mason is a world-class player, but we have not recruited him yet. I don’t know what happened, but I am not used to get involved in my players’ private life.

“But if he comes here, you have to know that I treat all my players like my sons. I can tell them off in private, but I would never attack them in public.”

In November, De Zerbi says he was “saddened” by how Greenwood has been portrayed in England.

Greenwood’s move to Marseille was a major controversy in France

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“He’s a good guy, he paid a heavy price for what happened, a very heavy price,” he said.

“He has found the right environment for him. We have lent him a hand and given him affection. He’s a little bit introverted but I know him and his family.

“It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described in England.”

A number of supporter groups are opposed to the appointment of De Zerbi.

THFC Flags, a fan-led group that organises banners in the stands, have joined the “No to De Zerbi” campaign.

“Tottenham Hotspur claims to be a club that prides itself on being inclusive, supportive and safe,” the group said.

“As a group committed to promoting and amplifying this culture, in the belief this will create the best environment and atmosphere to enjoy football, we’re extremely disappointed and dismayed by the publicised pursuit of Roberto De Zerbi... De Zerbi is not the kind of person we want associated with our club or representing us. No to De Zerbi.”

Proud Lilywhites, Spurs’ official LGBTQ+ fans’ group, added: “When someone in that position publicly defends a player like Mason Greenwood, it matters, not just in isolation but in what it signals.”

Women of the Lane, whose stated aim is to eradicate sexism and misogyny in football, said De Zerbi’s comments raised “serious questions about judgement and leadership”.

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That result has left Spurs one place and a solitary point above the bottom three with seven matches left to play.

According to Opta, the likelihood of Tottenham being relegated this season is 25.87 per cent, which works out to be just under 75 per cent with regards to survival.

The report is calculated by simulating each team’s remaining fixtures and the outcome spells bad news for West Ham as they are tipped to go down along with Burnley and Wolves.

Tottenham’s final seven matches are against Sunderland, Brighton, Wolves, Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea and Everton. Three of which are at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though Spurs have won just twice at home in the Premier League all season.

West Ham, meanwhile, have a tricky run-in, with home games against Arsenal and Everton plus short trips to Crystal Palace and Brentford, and a journey to Newcastle on the penultimate weekend of the season.

Opta believe Wolves are guaranteed for the drop, with a 99.92 per cent chance of going down, with Burnley not much better at 99.87 per cent.

Forest, who are currently 17th in the table, have been given a 8.93 per cent chance of being relegated, with Leeds also given favourable odds of 6.78 per cent of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship.

Tottenham are on the market for a new manager once again after parting ways with Igor Tudor.

Tudor only signed a short-term deal in February to become Tottenham interim head coach until the end of the season, replacing Thomas Frank after he was sacked following the 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle.

The appointment of Tudor was designed to "to improve performances and deliver results" as Tottenham sought to pull away from the relegation zone and go as far as possible in the Champions League.

Given Tudor’s experience of managing in several top European leagues, he was to be viewed as a serious candidate for the full-time role if he did well during his spell in charge.

However, the Croat departs north London after just 44 days having overseen five defeats in seven matches in all competitions, winning just once which was ultimately in vain against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Spurs are now searching for their third manager of the season and amid links to Sean Dyche, Roberto De Zerbi and Marco Silva.

With seven games to save Tottenham’s season and preserve their status as a Premier League team, it is clear that the next Spurs manager must get off to a fast start.

As communicated in the official club statement, “an update on a new Head Coach will be provided in due course”.

Bruno Saltor will lead training for the players not currently away on international duty and Spurs plan to appoint a new head coach in the coming days, so someone is in place for when the players return from international duty.

With Spurs not in FA Cup action next weekend, it means the new head coach’s first game will be against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on April 12.

The new head coach’s first home game in charge comes six days later against a Brighton side who are in contention to qualify for Europe.

We've already mentioned the first two, but it is important the next Spurs head coach gets off to a flying start as they end the month with trip to Wolves and then begin May by facing Aston Villa away from home.

Tottenham’s penultimate home game of the season is shaping up to be a relegation six-pointer against Leeds on May 9.

Things don't get any easier after that as Tottenham battle London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their final away game of the campaign before wrapping up the season at home to an Everton side who have been impressive on the road.

Tottenham confirmed on Sunday that they had parted company with Tudor by mutual consent, despite only appointing the former Juventus and Marseille boss as interim head coach in February.

The Croat leaves the club following last weekend’s abject 3-0 home defeat by relegation rivals Nottingham Forest that left them sitting 17th, only one place and a solitary point above the Premier League’s bottom three.

During his short spell in north London, Tudor oversaw one win in seven games in all competitions. That was a Champions League last-16 second leg victory over Atletico Madrid, though it was not enough for progression to the quarter-finals.

Tudor’s record in the Premier League stood at four defeats in five matches, including three London derby losses in a row against bitter rivals Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Spurs have confirmed that ‘an update on a new Head Coach will be provided in due course’, but Sean Dyche has emerged as the early front-runner to ensure Premier League survival is secured during the final seven games of the season.

Taking to social media to thank Tudor and his coaching staff, the THST have urged the club to make a ‘wise choice’ with regards to the next managerial appointment amid ‘a season of bad calls’.

A statement reads: "With thanks to Igor and his team for their efforts, and wishing him and his family time to come to terms with their loss.

"In a season of bad calls, let’s hope we now see a wise choice for the remainder of the campaign.

"Someone who understands the club and is up to the task in front of them: retaining our Premier League status.

“Someone we can all be proud of and who can bring some much needed success and enjoyment to our long suffering fanbase."

Bruno Saltor will lead training for the players not currently away on international duty and Spurs plan to appoint a new head coach in the coming days, so someone is in place for when the players return from international duty.

That would give the new manager around 10 days to prepare for their next game away at Sunderland on April 12.

Roberto De Zerbi, Mauricio Pochettino and Andoni Iraola would all be in the frame for the permanent head coach position in the summer, if Spurs are still in the Premier League.

Tudor leaves by mutual consent as Spurs take final roll of dice

Igor Tudor has left Tottenham after just 44 days in charge

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Dom Smith

COMMENTS

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tottenham have parted ways with Igor Tudor and immediately stepped up their search for a new manager to save them from relegation.

Spurs have confirmed that Tudor has left by mutual consent following last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Tudor learned after that defeat of the death of his father Mario and both parties have agreed a mutual parting of ways.

Spurs say “an update on a new head coach will be provided in due course”.

Spurs and Igor Tudor have agreed a mutual parting of ways

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Bruno Saltor will lead training for the players not currently away on international duty and Spurs plan to appoint a new head coach in the coming days, so someone is in place for when the players return from international duty.

That would give the new manager around 10 days to prepare for their next game away at Sunderland on April 12.

Roberto De Zerbi, Mauricio Pochettino and Andoni Iraola would all be in the frame for the permanent head coach position in the summer, if Spurs are still in the Premier League.

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But Adi Hutter, Sean Dyche and Harry Redknapp are available options for the job now, as Spurs seek a manager to save them from relegation. Robbie Keane and Marco Silva have also been linked with the job.

In a statement on Sunday, Spurs said: “We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for head coach Igor Tudor to leave the club with immediate effect.

“Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of goalkeeping coach and physical coach.

“We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly. We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time.

“An update on a new head coach will be provided in due course.”

Tudor leaves Spurs after just 44 days in charge and his exit ends one of the shortest managerial reigns in Premier League history.

The Croatian oversaw one win from seven games, including four defeats out of five in the Premier League.

Spurs remain without a top-flight win in 2026 and are just one point above the relegation zone with seven games remaining.

Dyche has been out of work since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in February.

Hutter left Monaco in October, while former 79-year-old Spurs boss Redknapp’s last job was a short stint at Birmingham in 2017 when he came in late in the season to save them from relegation.

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