Many of Tottenham’s biggest problems were self-diagnosed during Roberto De Zerbi’s first game as manager. Spurs had fallen to the bottom three before traveling to Sunderland, but their performance in the defeat did nothing to strengthen their belief that they could climb out of there.
Appointing De Zerbi as one of the highest-paid head coaches in the division during an already disastrous season was a high-stakes gamble. Some might argue that it would have been even riskier to keep Igor Tudor.
But whoever takes over as manager – De Zerbi is Spurs’ fourth in the past 12 months – the same issues are likely to remain.
Tottenham have no style to speak of. Perhaps that was part of the enigmatic Italian charm. De Zerbi clearly offers a philosophy, a unique way of playing and, as evidenced by his time at Brighton, a high ceiling for performance levels.
The trouble is that Spurs, with their current structure, are unable to produce results that go against De Zerbi’s plans. This was especially true at Sunderland. Nordi Mukiele’s wildly errant effort nailed the lukewarm result in the coffin. And now the story has descended into an analysis of the growing possibility of relegation.
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Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Sunderland vs. Tottenham Hotspur
What felt like an impossible and shocking outcome of a serious underperformance, with all its incitement but lack of substance, now feels like a real possibility. 1 point out of 24 points is hopeless.
Spurs’ 14-game winless streak in the Premier League is their worst since 1935. Spurs are increasingly being looked at as relegation candidates. Perhaps, as Jamie Carragher theorized on Super Sunday, he may have a more convincing case than those around him, given recent circumstances and confidence levels.
De Zerbi explained in his first press conference that he had little time to implement tactical ideas to face Sunderland, prioritizing “character, the right spirit, the right courage to play”. Without a bright opening 10 minutes, Spurs were without all three players.
At least something can be made of the theory behind de Zerbi’s setup, if not the implementation.
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Jamie Carragher believes Tottenham Hotspur are headed for relegation after losing to Sunderland in their remaining games of the season.
With Conor Gallagher and Lukas Bergvall playing in front of Archie Gray, he packed his feet and energy into the central areas – with sound intent – but in an attempt to dominate the ball they schemed to lose the battle.
Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiqi and Khabib Diarra proved to be a much more skilled trio. Xhaka controlled the tempo. He had the most touches (85) of any player on the park and generated a game-high 16 passes into the final third.
In fact, Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roofs played more final third passes (nine) than all three of Tottenham’s midfielders.
The hosts were also much better outside of possession, winning more tackles, completing more duels and making more interceptions. Spurs had seven shots on target, but only one of them was considered a big chance, and it was deflected by Dominic Solanke.
Fullback Pedro Polo was the most anticipated open play threat. That doesn’t reflect well on the Spurs’ offense.
De Zerbi is an idea man, but there is a chronic lack of qualified creators. Therefore, the decision to keep Xavi Simmons as a substitute on Sunday must be questioned. The Dutchman was brought on with six minutes remaining. Will that be enough time to make an impact in a game where the Spurs were trailing after the first hour?
Saturday, April 18th 5pm
5:30pm kickoff
These six consecutive games will be determined by such decisions. The seriousness of the situation means their decision must be correct, especially since this final game will be negotiated without the leadership of injured captain Cristian Romero.
Spurs’ new guardian will have two weeks to adjust with the squad before his former employers Brighton visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night. We don’t have the luxury of beating the team we led to sixth place in 2022/23, but there is visible improvement.
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Despite recent misery, Roy Keane is confident Tottenham can avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Spurs must take a proactive approach to meet this crisis head-on. The north Londoners are without a win in any of their last 32 Premier League games after falling behind, with just eight of those being draws. In fact, they spent only 18.3 percent of their games in winning positions all season.
It’s been almost four months since they last tasted victory in the league, long enough to forget exactly what it feels like or how it is achieved, but whatever the variables this weekend, Tottenham must find a way to win.
Roberto de Zerbi consoles Destiny Udoghi after defeat against Sunderland
Particularly in moments of misfortune, the well of fear of relegation must be pumped more effectively. The game slipped away all too easily after Tottenham suffered a setback. It was no surprise that Mukiele’s shot, which brutally deflected off Micky van de Ven’s leg, was enough to settle Sunday’s awful game.
That’s how vulnerable the Spurs are.
But there’s no time to get discouraged. Survival scraps don’t involve emotions. On paper, this team has good players, but it will be up to De Zerbi to make them perform with strength of character to prove it.
