How can Roberto De Zerbi revive Tottenham's fortunes?

(Stock No: 1548903788)

Tottenham Hotspur have spent more than six decades chasing a league title and rather less time settling on a way of playing. A fixture like Man U vs Tottenham still draws a worldwide audience, yet the football on show changes character with every appointment. Every few seasons the club reaches for a coach with a clear idea, and every few seasons the idea gets diluted. Roberto De Zerbi is one of the few managers in Europe whose method is detailed enough, and stubborn enough, to survive that treatment.

A career built on conviction

Born in Brescia in 1979, De Zerbi played as an attacking midfielder without reaching the top of the game, then started coaching in the lower Italian divisions. Foggia gave him his first platform, and promotion from Serie C arrived with football far bolder than the level demanded. A short, unhappy spell at Palermo followed, then Benevento, then the job that made his name.

Sassuolo, between 2018 and 2021, is the reference point. A club of modest means finished eighth twice and posted the highest points totals in its history, playing possession football that troubled Juventus, Inter and Milan. Shakhtar Donetsk came next, cut short by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Brighton and Hove Albion followed, and with them the best season that club has ever had.

What a De Zerbi team actually does

His sides build from the goalkeeper with a patience that looks reckless. Centre-backs stand still with a foot on the ball, inviting opponents forward, because the plan depends on drawing a press in and then playing through it. When the trap springs, the ball goes vertical into a forward's feet between the lines, and the attack arrives against a defence that has lost its shape.

In possession the structure becomes something close to a 2-3-5, with full-backs stepping inside and five players holding the last line. Without the ball the counter-press is immediate and the defensive line sits high. It is demanding, it is rehearsed daily, and it makes ordinary players expensive.

Brighton's sixth-placed finish in 2022-23 was the highest in their history and took them into Europe for the first time, while Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma all grew sharply in value under him. Pep Guardiola has been among his louder admirers.

Why Tottenham are a sensible fit

Spurs have promised attacking football since Danny Blanchflower's day, and De Zerbi's version is the modern translation of it. The squad profile fits as well. Tottenham recruit young, technical footballers with resale value, which is the exact raw material his coaching converts into something better. A full stadium and a modern training ground built for fine detail give him working conditions Brighton could never match.

Then there is the ceiling. The 2025 Europa League triumph in Bilbao ended a 17-year wait for silverware and proved the squad could win something. Turning one night into a pattern is a coaching problem, and his record points to a manager who lifts a team's floor rather than hoping for individual moments.

Where the transformation would show

The first change would be territorial. Teams coached this way spend long spells in the opposition half, concede fewer transitions, and stop losing matches they have dominated. The second would be in player development. Midfielders learn to receive under pressure, full-backs learn a second position inside, and forwards learn to hold the ball facing their own goal. Those habits transfer, and they raise a squad's value even in seasons when the trophies do not come.

The third would be consistency against stubborn opponents. Spurs have often looked brilliant against the top six and blunt against a deep block. A settled build-up pattern and rehearsed rotations in wide areas are the recognised answers, and they are what he teaches. Supporters who follow Premier League odds across a campaign know how quickly a coherent side climbs from mid-table towards the European places.

The obvious risks

None of this is free. His Brighton side slipped to 11th in a second season disrupted by injuries and European midweeks, and the high line will always concede clear chances. The method needs a goalkeeper and centre-backs who accept real danger in their own box, plus a board willing to sit through an awkward opening few months. Given the alternative is another reset, that looks like a risk worth taking.

Follow @spursodyssey