It was supposed to end at Tottenham. They won’t win the Premier League in 2026, and they won’t immediately bounce for a new manager under Roberto De Zerbi. The big question was whether he would stay for next season’s first championship game.
But now Spurs are clear of the relegation zone and finally have some momentum for the first time in half a season.
De Zerbi arrived promising to keep things pragmatic, knowing there were only seven games left to get a new team.
The Italian way is generally not like that at all. Former Brighton captain Lewis Dunk once said his first few weeks at the Amex were “horrible” and “two weeks of carnage” as he tried to adapt to his demands. The Seagulls have since taken just two points from their first five games in charge.
That won’t happen at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it doesn’t now. Only Georginio Rutter’s last-minute equalizer against Brighton stood between De Zerbi and three wins in his first four games.
Goalkeepers baiting opposition and top-flight line-up changes has eased, but De Zerbi has managed to introduce some of the hallmarks of his coaching to underpin Spurs’ rapid progress. His impact speed was undoubtedly impressive.
A valid point will be made about the quality of the opposition, especially after Aston Villa made so many changes in Spurs’ 2-1 win on Sunday night. But for a team who had not won a Premier League game in 15 attempts before beating Wolves a week ago, some work still needed to be done and their survival is now back in their own hands.
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
High pressure, efficient running
Signs of De Zerbi’s high-pressing game have become increasingly evident in his first four games, to the point where he holds the best record of any single manager across the division winning the ball back in the final third this season. That’s averaged 5.3 per game since his arrival.
With the caveat of a small sample size, Spurs are on the rise after four games, winning the ball in dangerous areas almost twice as often compared to the rest of the season.
Tottenham are getting smarter and pressing better. Their running numbers are down across the board. They are running less than before De Zerbi arrived, running about a kilometer less per game. This despite the fact that occupancy statistics remain broadly similar.
A better organized front-foot approach has a different effect than expected. Yes, Spurs are getting the ball back closer to the opposition goal, but only Xabi Simmons’ superb strike against Brighton has had a direct impact. Spurs are generating barely more xG, scoring more goals or even getting shots off quicker than before De Zerbi arrived.
Instead, stopping the opposition’s pressure on Spurs’ own goals makes a significant difference. They have given up 0.79 xG per goal value on average under De Zerbi. This is a reduction of almost 50% compared to the 1.52xG per game they provided before De Zerbi joined.
According to these numbers, Spurs’ average goal differential per game has increased from -0.49xG per game to a positive number for the first time all season.
There are more signs of optimism, with Tottenham giving away more since the Italian’s arrival than the numbers would suggest. They could be more astute still, but De Zervi may feel unfortunate that two of the four goals his side have conceded have come from Kaoru Mitoma’s wonder goal and Sunderland’s Nordi Mukiele’s deflected winner from distance.
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An energetic and hard-working midfielder
It is worth remembering that things did not immediately go smoothly for De Zerbi.
Comparisons between Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka and the trio of midfielders from Spurs’ first match, a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light, made for humiliating reading.
In that game, De Zerbi picked on the young duo of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall along with Conor Gallagher and were badly burned.
“With two young kids learning their trade, will we be able to stay out of the relegation battle?” asked Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher after the match.
“The midfield balance at Spurs is not good. To be fair, the manager has only been there for a week or two,” added Roy Keane.
De Zerbi prefers players who can play, but he never made the same mistake again, putting his ideals on hold for more hard-working options.
Gallagher has teamed up with Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield for each of Spurs’ three games since, while Joao Palhinha also joined them for Sunday’s win at Villa, the first time the trio have started together all season.
What the trio may have lacked in talent they made up for in energy at Villa Park, producing outstanding performances despite playing 19 minutes less than the home trio of Ross Barkley, Lamare Bogarde and Youri Tielemans.
They set the tone and dominated the center of the park with their tackling, dueling and ball-winning abilities superior to the Villa team.
A lack of balance in this area has held Tottenham back all season, but De Zervi appears to have settled on a system that works best for him to win the midfield battle.
Thomas Frank tried to do the same but failed to create enough chances, but De Zerbi had less trouble.
De Zerbi factor
Numbers can only tell us so much about De Zerbi’s influence. Known for his man management and big personality, he wasted no time developing his players when he first opened his doors.
True or not, he has laid the foundation for long-overdue continuity by reassuring them that he will be at the club next season, relegation or not. He demanded positivity and faith, but he also provided it.
“I try to find the best solution to reach every player,” he said before his first win over Wolves. “Sometimes it’s analysis videos, sometimes it’s about my career at other clubs.
“(Randall) playing as a right winger with Kolo Muani because he played in that position. If you go on YouTube and watch Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt), you can see that he played very well in that position and scored a lot of goals from that position.”
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Roberto De Zerbi’s usual passionate belief in his players was evident in his early press conferences.
De Zerbi’s plan is one that Spurs players can accept. It works and it’s effective. But like Marseille and Brighton before them, they are embracing the man. “I see football in a completely different way, I imagine it in a completely different way,” Dunk said after a few months of working with him.
Conor Gallagher looks like the player who has finally become Chelsea captain. It was no surprise that De Zervi claimed his side were “playing with 12 men” following the 26-year-old’s performance in goal at Villa on Sunday.
“Every player in the squad accepts him and everyone trusts him. He makes you feel good and gives you confidence. He brings out the best in the players and this is just the beginning,” Gallagher said. TNT Sports After Sunday’s win.
“Hopefully we can continue to learn from him and build a great team.”
Great teams can wait for that moment. Survival will be an advantage in the final three matches. And for the first time in a long time, there is real belief that Tottenham can do it.
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