New Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has declared that he wants to bring Angeball back to north London.
The Italian, who most recently managed Brighton and Marseille, is the third manager to charge of Spurs since Australian Ange Postecoglou was sacked last year.
Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor were ridiculed earlier in the season for their dull style of play which helped plunge Tottenham to the depths of a relegation battle.
So, now De Zerbi wants to bring back the electricity of Postecoglou’s aggressive tactics which yielded a fifth place Premier League season in the former Celtic boss’ first season and, of course, the Europa League trophy in his second season.
Postecoglou was given his marching orders despite breaking the club’s 17-year trophy drought as his team finished 17th in the league.
Tottenham were never seriously a chance of being relegated under the Australian, however, finishing 13 points clear of the drop zone as Postecoglou decided to prioritise the European campaign with his injury-hit squad.
De Zerbi’s comments suggest letting Postecoglou go may have been an error, even if it has led to his return to the English top flight.
“I want to see again the Tottenham I watched with Postecoglou,” he said.
“In my second season in Brighton there was Postecoglou here with a lot of these players, and it was one of the best teams in terms of quality of play. I would like to see it again.”
De Zerbi has seven games to save Spurs from playing in the Championship next year.
He signed a five-year contract with the club, and the new era begins at Sunderland late on Sunday night Australian time.
Tottenham sit 18th, inside the relegation zone, at present after West Ham’s 4-0 win against Wolves on Saturday morning.
De Zerbi vows to fight his way out.
“My style is one part about the style of play and one part about the character,” he said. “I want to give organisation with the ball and without the ball.
“What I want to achieve immediately is the character, the right spirit and the right courage to play and attack. Because the DNA of this club, of this squad, is to find the goal, to score. In this part I can be able to transfer, not in too much time, my principles.
“We have no time to work like in Brighton or Marseille, or in other places I’ve been. I don’t want to put confusion inside of the players. They have to have a clear plan and not too much instruction, not too much thinking.
“They have to run, they have to play with courage and personality and they have to fight. That’s it. For me, my demand is to show the right spirit I want to see.”
READ MORE
NO HIDING NOW: Biggest sign yet Spurs could get relegated as twist rubs salt in wounds
‘WISH YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THAT’: Arnie opens up on Iraq WC miracle, unthinkable Socceroos possibility
De Zerbi also admitted he was not surprised by the backlash from a section of fans over his past comments on Mason Greenwood.
Several Tottenham supporters’ groups objected to the 46-year-old being hired by the struggling Premier League side due to his backing of Greenwood during their time at Marseille.
De Zerbi managed Greenwood at the French club after the former Manchester United striker faced charges — which were later dropped — of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2022.
The Italian described Greenwood last year as a “good guy” who had paid a “heavy price” and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”
De Zerbi faced questions on Friday about his role in helping Greenwood resume his career at Marseille.
Asked about the fan criticism, De Zerbi said: “I wasn’t surprised. I was a bit sad and sorry it happened, because I’m sorry if somebody took offence.
“I must repeat what I said the other time. This topic is very close to me, I’m very sensitive about this topic, because of the person I am and because I have a daughter.
“And so I must repeat what I said the other time. I have always been against – always – any type of violence, especially against women. But not only violence – even just sexist jokes or other sexist behaviour.
“I know who I am, I know the type of person I am, so I wasn’t annoyed by the questions, I’m just sad about them.”
Greenwood was charged in October 2022 after images and videos were posted online.
But the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”.
Greenwood, who denied the charges, subsequently resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024 under De Zerbi.
Asked if he hoped fans accept his apology, De Zerbi said: “Yes, also because I’m not going to go back over this topic.
“I spoke about it in my first interview, I spoke about it today and it wouldn’t be right to go back over this topic again.”
Discussion about this post