Tottenham are hoping to kickstart a new era at N17 under Roberto de Zerbi this season.
Tottenham fans have gone through a lot of ups and downs in recent years while supporting the club. The Lilywhites managed to find success under Ange Postecoglou after winning the Europa League at the end of the 2024/25 season. It was the club’s first major trophy in 17 years, ending a long-standing trophy drought with European success. But it is fair to say that the North Londoners have not done a great job of building on that European triumph since that famous night in Bilbao.
Daniel Levy immediately sacked Ange Postecoglou just days after the Australian tactician helped Spurs win the Europa League. Big Ange was then replaced by Thomas Frank, who arrived at N17 with his own ideas and philosophy. Despite all his great work at Brentford, Frank struggled to adapt at Tottenham after enduring a strong start to his tenure. In next to no time, the Lilywhites were fighting relegation midway through the season as their performances dropped off drastically.
Thomas Frank was sacked midway through last season after the club became entangled in an unexpected relegation scrap. The Dane was replaced by Igor Tudor on an interim basis until the end of the season. But it is fair to say that the decision to bring in Tudor did not work out, with the Croat remaining winless in his first seven matches in charge of the Lilywhites. Finally, Spurs decided to move for Roberto de Zerbi in March. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Tottenham’s recent Premier League record does not provide a good look
Despite being Europa League champions in 2024/25, Spurs finished the Premier League campaign in 17th place. The Lilywhites failed to step up in domestic competitions after putting all their eggs in the European basket midway through that campaign. As a result, the North Londoners ended up losing 22 league matches under Ange Postecoglou, breaking their record for the most defeats in a single league campaign.
And to make matters worse, Tottenham did not end up learning from their mistakes in the following season under Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor. In fact, the Lilywhites were again involved in a relegation scrap, but this time without the Europa League to focus on. They ended up just a place above the relegation zone on the final day of the season, losing 17 league matches. They avoided relegation by two points, with West Ham replacing the North Londoners in the drop zone instead.
However, after this weekend’s opening-day defeat against Brentford, the stats reveal just how poor Spurs have really been in recent seasons. As per Squawka (via X), the Lilywhites have now gone on to lose 40 league matches since the start of the 2024/25 season. Only Wolves (44 games) have lost more matches in that timeframe, with West Ham United (36 games) just behind the North Londoners. To make matters worse, Tottenham’s bitter rivals Arsenal have only lost nine league matches during this period.
The time has come for Spurs to show clear signs of improvement under Roberto de Zerbi this season. The progress on the pitch may not be instant, but it is crucial that the players are seen adapting to the Italian tactician’s playing style in the coming months. It is important that the Lilywhites compete for domestic honours and take huge steps forward as they kick-start a new era at N17 this time around.
