For any modern Tottenham Hotspur manager, Mauricio Pochettino remains the benchmark, and the Lilywhites have never really come close to the heights they achieved during the Argentine’s five-year reign.
There have been four consecutive top-four finishes in the Premier League, and a run to the Champions League final in 2019, all while Pochettino has brought in an exciting new crop of future stars.
A piece of silverware may not have been elusive, but this was still a good time for those in north London, with Roberto De Zerbi now the man tasked with returning the club to such a high point.
What matters, in the short term, is survival, but after this season, the Italian will have to build a bright future, making sure that not everyone who is currently on board will be in it for long.
The winners and losers of De Zerbi’s appointment at Spurs
There is a sense that the real losers in this appointment could be Tottenham officials, if things go south, with the ENIC regime gambling on a fiery coach at a time when the club needs someone to steady the ship.
Alas, if we look at De Zerbi’s impact on the pitch, there are those among the current crop who may find themselves out of the picture, as Pedro Porro may be at risk given the manager’s tendency to plant a right-back midfielder at times, be it Pascal Gross or Jack Hinshelwood at Brighton.
In midfield, Joao Palhinha’s fitness and winning ability may clash with the new manager’s style, which could also be a problem for January arrival Conor Gallagher, considering he only has an 80% passing accuracy in the Premier League this season.
The £27m Spurs star must be furious that ENIC hired De Zerbi
The arrival of Roberto De Zerbi could have an impact on the current Spurs team.
That said, having overseen the rise of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister for a while at Amex, De Zerbi could be the right man to boost the likes of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray to stardom, the latter being a shining light even during Igor Tudor’s reign.
There will also be intrigue surrounding Mohammed Kudus, with the Ghanaian returning to work, with the walk-on striker close to joining Brighton in 2023, before moving to West Ham United.
|
Players used @ Brighton |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The player |
Games |
Minutes |
|
Gross |
85 |
7,418 |
|
Dunk |
79 |
6,887 |
|
Mitoma |
62 |
4,865 |
|
Estupinan |
64 |
4,692 |
|
An instrument |
43 |
3,900 |
|
Veltman |
62 |
3,883 |
|
Van Hecke |
50 |
3,872 |
|
Welbeck |
68 |
3,782 |
|
Gilmour |
57 |
3,651 |
|
March |
43 |
3,525 |
If he is fit and firing again, Kudus is likely to be slotted in on the right side of De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1, while the central role could go to Spurs’ new Christian Eriksen.
Spurs’ new Eriksen could be a good fit for De Zerbi
It was something of a 4-2-3-1 that Pochettino’s previous teams thrived on, with the aforementioned Eriksen being part of that side, either on the left or in the number ten role.
When Pochettino was in sole charge, the Dane scored 58 goals and provided 75 assists in 255 games in all competitions, proving a creative ability to support Harry Kane and free-scoring Heung-min Son.
Today, in the absence of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, Spurs lack that jewel of play, although there have been flashes from £52m signing Xavi Simons in recent weeks.
The Dutch sensation was very impressive in what looked to be a successful night at home to Atletico Madrid, scoring twice in that 3-2 win, while also proving dangerous between the lines, registering five ‘key passes’ in total.
Watching the 22-year-old move and turn, as he rifled home from range, it felt like I was witnessing Eriksen at his best, albeit with great athleticism, and the comparisons to his pre-Tottenham days, back in 2023.
Indeed, Dutch Eurosport pundit Kevin Van Nunen made that connection during Simons’ time at PSV Eindhoven, following Eriksen’s move to Ajax:
“The average modern player, [Simons’] he is very intelligent and knows how to help and make goals,” he told Eurosport UK.
“I named Christian Eriksen as a comparison for a reason, especially since Simons is in the same position in his career as when Eriksen was successful at Ajax.
The Eriksen-shaped figure seems fitting for new manager De Zerbi given the impact Gross has made under the Italian on the south coast, with the German scoring 31 Premier League goals in 2022/23 and 2023/24 combined, creating 27 ‘big chances’ in that time.
Perhaps there was more flexibility in Gross’s game, given that he could operate at right back, although he was often deployed as a number ten by De Zerbi, ensuring that Simons should shine in the same forward role.
Now the club’s most valuable player with a market value of €79.9m (£69.6m), as a transfer, De Zerbi needs to ensure he does what Tudor and Thomas Frank could not, and build his squad around the former RB Leipzig star.
New Modric starts, Porro gets the boot: How Spurs can fit in under De Zerbi
Tottenham are aiming to sign Roberto De Zerbi on a long-term contract that will start immediately.
