Roberto De Zerbi has yet to inspire Tottenham to a Premier League win this season.
Tottenham Hotspur have had the busiest window in the club’s history after escaping relegation on the final day of last season. The club signed 10 new players for a combined cost of £400m, but some of their new signings have not lived up to the lofty expectations of the fans.
The Lilywhites have struggled to find the back of the net, failing to score in their opening four league matches, while getting dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Liverpool in midweek. There have been questions in some quarters about whether Roberto De Zerbi will be able to steady the ship.
Former Premier League midfielder accuses Roberto De Zerbi of not innovating his tactics
It is laughable that Tottenham have not scored a single goal in six hours of Premier League football this season, despite investing big on attackers. The North London club’s two points have come from two goalless draws that have left them 17th in the table.
Former Premier League midfielder Steven Defour has not been convinced by De Zerbi’s tactics and ideas this season. He has accused the 47-year-old of not upgrading his tactics with time, relying on the same methods that brought him success at Brighton a few years ago.
“He claimed he’d already be the best coach in Italy just because he’d kept two clean sheets. He’s already starting to become irritating,” Steven Defour told Dutch outlet Sporza.
“He did a fantastic job at Brighton, famously having the goalkeeper keep his foot on the ball until the opposition started pressing. Back then, teams actually thought: ‘It’s Brighton, so let’s press high.’ That created space. But now, teams just let the goalkeeper do his thing.
“The idea is outdated because everyone has seen the footage by now. Everyone knows what he’s planning. Guardiola went through a similar phase, but he kept innovating. De Zerbi, on the other hand, just keeps doing the same thing. Whereas all his imitators struggle after a year.”
Results must improve quickly
De Zerbi is confident that Spurs will improve in the final third with time. The Italian tactician has called on summer signings Savio and Omar Marmoush to step up and take on greater responsibility, having yet to establish themselves as regular protagonists in the Premier League.
Former Scotland international and pundit Andy Gray is confident that Spurs will improve and start climbing the table once they become clinical in front of goal. After making wholesale changes to his squad, the responsibility lies with De Zerbi to get a tune out of the squad and make the Lilywhites competitive again in the Premier League.
Spurs face Aston Villa at home this weekend, and our gaffer will be hoping to finally break his team’s duck and get their season up and running.
