Roberto De Zerbi is putting his Tottenham players through their paces as he prepares for his first game in charge of the club.
The Lilywhites are winless in the Premier League in 2026 and well and truly in a relegation battle. However, the Italian’s arrival seems to have breathed new life into the club as they look ahead to their clash against Sunderland on Sunday.
De Zerbi will address the media tomorrow to preview the clash against the Black Cats and is expected to speak in detail about his early days at the club, injuries and a lot more.
However, Alasdair Gold has dropped an interesting snippet from Tottenham training that could bode really well for everyone involved with the club.
Tottenham players relishing De Zerbi’s 1-1 attention
The Italian took charge of his first training session at the club last Friday as the players got their first glimpse of their new manager.
After their sessions, Tottenham players were blown away by De Zerbi’s training methods, with an unnamed player even going on to describe the session as ‘outstanding’.
And now, Gold’s comments have added value to those claims. The reputed Tottenham journalist believes De Zerbi’s ability to coach players individually and spend time with them is something that is being talked about a lot at Hotspur Way.
He said on the Taking Tottenham podcast: “One of the things that I’ve been hearing out of Spurs from people around the players, and also just people that work in the building as well, is that the big thing that the players have really liked about De Zerbi so far is that they feel like they’re being coached individually as well.
“It’s like, sometimes people come in with an overall philosophy, and it’s about that system. You work with this system, you do this, you do that, this is what I want.
“Whereas with him, there’s an element of that, but there’s also an element of, here’s what I want you to be like as a player, what I believe you can do.”
Sunderland game is the litmus test
There’s no doubt De Zerbi is an exceptionally gifted football manager. Usually, when a new manager comes into the club, a lot is said and written about him in the media, but the proof is usually in the pudding.
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Tottenham need points on the board immediately as they are perilously close to the relegation zone. For all of De Zerbi’s coaching expertise, he’s never really been in a situation like this, so he needs to deliver results starting from the trip to the Stadium of Light.
There is a renewed sense of belief with everyone associated with the club, but Tottenham need to walk the walk and deliver against Sunderland; it really is as simple as that.
