Roberto De Zerbi: Tottenham turn to combustible Italian - but is it a case of right coach, wrong time?
Sky Sports analyses whether the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi is arriving at the right time for Tottenham; the club sit on point above the bottom three with seven games to go; De Zerbi has been described as the 'final roll of the dice' by the club to avoid relegation
Monday 30 March 2026 17:58, UK
Roberto De Zerbi can deliver the football Tottenham fans crave. To dare is to do is a fitting description of the Italian’s philosophy. That counts for nothing, though, if he cannot save Spurs from relegation. This is the final roll of the dice. De Zerbi or bust.
Seven games to play and Spurs are one point above the drop. Igor Tudor was billed as a firefighter but only fanned the flames of a first top-flight relegation since 1977. The prospect of De Zerbi's appointment - with talks between the two parties progressing well - is exciting, but is he the right coach at the wrong time?
The former Brighton boss at least brings Premier League experience and hopes of a brighter future. If he can keep Spurs up, it could be a turning point. The alternative is unthinkable. It is hard to envisage De Zerbi sticking around in the Championship.
- Tottenham in Roberto De Zerbi talks| Transfer Centre LIVE!
- Spurs news & transfers⚪ |Spurs fixtures & scores
- Got Sky? Watch Tottenham games LIVE on your phone??
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW??
Can De Zerbi deliver instant results?
Spurs have no margin for error but turn to a coach that embraces risk. De Zerbi's high-octane, possession-based style is non-negotiable and his past experiences suggest it is an approach that requires time. Spurs, clearly, do not have that luxury.
The Italian is walking into a far less-settled situation than he inherited at Brighton when taking over mid-season from Graham Potter in 2022 - but he still took time to pick up points on the south coast, failing to win any of his first five games.
His other mid-season appointments, both in Italy, began with even worse results.
At Palermo in 2016, he was sacked less than three months into the job, winning just once in 13 games, before taking Serie A newcomers Benevento down in 2017/18 after failing to win any of his first nine matches.
Also See:
Spurs cannot afford a repeat scenario. De Zerbi's best return in seven games when taking over mid-season is eight points, which Opta's supercomputer predicts would be just enough to stay up.
De Zerbi has the potential to push Spurs back up the table if they do. He led Brighton to sixth in the Premier League, their highest top-flight finish, earning them qualification to Europe for the first time in their history.
Is De Zerbi a long-term option?
Spurs have offered De Zerbi a five-year contract, a clear indication that they view him as a head coach for the long term - but his track record suggests that is not the case.
De Zerbi's longest spell in management was a three-year spell at Italian club Sassuolo where he took charge of 120 games.
He has not surpassed 90 games at another club as head coach and half of his eight managerial jobs have lasted no longer than 30 games.
Spurs managers never tend to sick around too long. De Zerbi would be the third head coach appointment of the season, while Mauricio Pochettino was the last to stay for more than two seasons.
Will De Zerbi's reputation be an issue?
For good and for bad, De Zerbi's reputation precedes him. An innovator in terms of how the game is played, his name was the most frequently mentioned in interviews for a Sky Sports project about the future of football tactics a couple of summers ago.
Coach after coach cited De Zerbi as an inspiration. "He is producing something that is maybe unique in football right now," said one. "He has probably given Pep Guardiola his biggest headache," added another.
Why? "The distances, the positions, the body shape, the intentions that each player has in possession." These ideas still feel progressive. "How you control the rhythm and progress through space will be big in the future." His teams tend to be at the vanguard.
And yet, while Marseille are a hugely supported club with a proud history, there is a reason why De Zerbi did not land a bigger job after leaving Brighton. While his predecessor was handed the keys to Chelsea, something held Europe's giants back.
A brand of football not necessarily proven to deliver the top trophies was one aspect but De Zerbi's nature - the ability to manage up and down - was the more significant factor. Could he fit in? Nothing that he did at Marseille will have assuaged those concerns.
There were the intermittent threats to quit, accusing his players of humiliating him with their performance as early as November of his first season. By April, there were reports that he had refused to train the team with the players going above him to complain.
Players were scrapping each other in August - Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe both being moved on. Marseille is a difficult club for anyone to manage but De Zerbi, 46, was often perceived to have inflamed things rather than being a calming influence.
Will Spurs fans be worried by any of this? Not really.
They are desperate for anyone who can provide the club with a lift. It is in their hands, of course. And yet, they are vulnerable.
Should West Ham go on any kind of run, it could prove too much for them.
If that is the case, a summer of recriminations awaits. Some supporters would have preferred De Zerbi last summer and many more will lament that they had to endure seven games of Tudor before turning to him now.
This final roll of the dice has to work.
Play Super 6 for a chance to win ￡250k! Enter for free.
Around Sky
Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch more games than ever before
Not got Sky? Get instant access to Sky Sports with no contract
- Home
- Scores
- Watch
- Sky Bet
- Shop
Source: http://m.shstrong.com.cn/news/42b899949.html
Copyright Notice: The content of this article is contributed by Internet users. The views only represent the author. This site only provides information storage services and does not own ownership or bear relevant legal responsibilities. If you find any suspected infringement or illegal content, please contact us. We will delete it immediately after verification.
