Roberto de Zerbi: How can Tottenham’s new manager face the first match against Sunderland | Soccer News

If there’s a director who embodies the “To Dare is To Do” philosophy, it’s Roberto De Zerbi.

The front-footed head coach has spent more than a week with Tottenham’s new team and will clearly understand how difficult it will be for the club to remain in the Premier League.

As we saw with the previous head coach, Igor Tudor, outwardly it’s a very attractive job, but internally the players lack confidence and are riddled with injuries.

But the hugely talented De Zerbi will feel they still have enough to avoid relegation.

Sunday, April 12th 1:00 p.m.

Kickoff at 2pm

Spurs players will be buoyed by his arrival. It is understood that the players have really enjoyed their first training session so far under the Italian coach.

That aggressiveness will be put to the test on Sunday in De Zerbi’s first match as Spurs take on Sunderland, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

If West Ham defeat bottom-of-the-table Wolves at home on Friday Night Football, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, Tottenham could well be in the relegation zone at kick-off.

So who will De Zerbi name in his first starting XI at the Stadium of Light, where Spurs need to avoid defeat if they are to move out of the bottom three?

Goalkeeper, left-back and midfield would be interesting calls.

De Zerbi will hold his first press conference on Friday to update us on whether goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is fit enough to start.

Vicario underwent hernia surgery during the international break but was expected to be “back within the next month”.

However, with his availability on Sunday highly doubtful in that timescale, Antonin Kinski is likely to start for the first time since his infamous 17th-minute substitution in last month’s Champions League last-16 first-leg defeat to Atletico Madrid. De Zerbi must boost the 23-year-old’s confidence.

In front of him, the former Brighton boss is likely to feature in a back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogui. De Zerbi may favor his compatriot over Jed Spence, who would be an interesting call at left-back.

Another interesting decision would be the midfield combination.

Lukas Bergvall could benefit from De Zerby’s appointment as manager, with the Sweden international potentially becoming a key player for the former Marseille manager as they have been photographed together on several occasions during training.

I think he’ll start alongside another teenager, Archie Gray, who was the best player under Tudor.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if De Zerbi chose Joao Parinha’s bite and experience. The Bayern Munich loanee, who ranks top in tackles in the Premier League this season, was said to be a sure thing to make the move permanently at the start of the season, but recent months have been a strange one.

I think De Zerbi will start Gray and Bergvall in midfield, so the front four will next join the attack, completing the expected 4-2-3-1 set-up.

Simmons will play a big role under De Zerbi

The strange case of Xavi Simmons enters its next chapter.

He scored two goals in a win over Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League last 16, but was dropped by Tudor in a 3-0 defeat to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.

It was a puzzling decision for the Croatian, but under De Zerbi he could start in a much more effective number 10 role than on the left wing.

With the Spurs lacking creativity, Dejan Kulusevski expected to miss the rest of the season and James Maddison still recovering from a torn ACL, Simmons will likely play a big role under De Zerbi.

Matthijs Tell will be hoping to shake off the injury he sustained against Forest to start on the right. If the Frenchman is not suitable, Randall Kolo Muani could take on this role.

And at the other end, it looks like Mohamed Kudus still has a week until his return, so Richarlison should start from there.

Therefore, while the Brazilian players can play wide, Dominic Solanke will start up front despite his poor performance in the international match against England.

Amidst the speculation, will De Zerbi be able to keep Romero and Van de Ven focused?

All eyes were on whether De Zerbi could quickly implement his aggressive, front-footed style of play.

However, as reported by Sky Sports News, De Zerbi knows he cannot overcomplicate or confuse his players in the current situation. Instead, he intends to simplify his game and tactics to maximize profits in the short term.

So what does he need to do?

Well, he needs to instill confidence in these players – and a first league win in 2026 will go a long way in solving this problem.

It is a complete disgrace that Spurs have not won in the Premier League this year, but there is a feeling that even just one win could be the catalyst for a breakthrough.

With defenders Romero and Van de Ven in the right frame of mind, Spurs could very well do well.

Both players’ departures have been in the spotlight this season, with Romero’s father saying just this week that there was a release clause in his contract, but Sky Sports News understands that such a clause does not exist.

If De Zerbi can keep the pair focused on the here and now, that could be the key to him getting Spurs out of trouble.
Tottenham’s dire situation reflects a club in crisis.

You can blame the manager, the board’s decisions, the players, but the only thing we have to focus on at the moment is survival in the Premier League.

Once you achieve that, you can start researching and reviewing.

There is no way Tottenham will be relegated and it will be up to De Zerbi to prevent this from happening.

Make sure to steady your body. Under passionate Italians, it could be a hell of a drive.