Jamie Redknapp has questioned whether Tottenham Hotspur have a winner to stay in the Premier League after their fall into the relegation zone, admitting the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi is a “huge risk”.
West Ham’s 4-0 victory over bottom club Wolves increased their lead over Spurs in the bottom three to two points for the first time since January 17, 2009, excluding the first three weeks of the season.
Spurs have seven games left in the season, starting with Sunday’s trip to Sunderland, and just a win is enough to lift them out of the bottom three relegation zone.
But Redknapp doubts whether the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Crisencio Somerville, who have led West Ham to a successful run in the Premier League, will help Spurs get out of trouble.
Premier League relegation battle remaining games
“The team needs a winner. Who’s going to win the game by a close margin?” Redknapp told Sky Sports after the West Ham result.
“If you look at the Tottenham team, who will win the game? Who will win the game?
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Highlights of the Premier League match between West Ham and Wolves
“If you look at Jarrod Bowen and Chrisencio Somerville, they have a chance. That’s the important thing. And that now puts almighty pressure on Tottenham Hotspur who have to go and beat Sunderland in the next game. It’s not an easy game.”
“Anything can happen, there will still be twists and turns. West Ham will only lose their next game against Crystal Palace next week and get right back into the game.
“It’s very difficult to predict. But you need a calm head and what West Ham did today is to look at the threat from set pieces, the real threat from their best players. Then you can give yourself a real chance.”
Redknapp even went so far as to say that West Ham have a better centre-back combination in Axel DiSasi and Konstantinos Mavropanos than Spurs’ best options, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, when it comes to the relegation battle.
“Mavropanos and DiSasi look like a real partnership, the kind of players you want in a relegation battle,” he added.
“And I don’t know if those two centre-backs at Tottenham are, even if they were better players. I think they are too good to be in a relegation battle. Here’s what Romero said: I won the World Cup and now we’re in the bottom three.”
“What they’re going to do under De Zerbi is he demands plays from the back and takes risks in the six-yard box. What West Ham know their limits is they don’t take too many risks. So do Nottingham Forest and Leeds.”
“Now is not the time to think you are a better player than you are. This is the time to play to your maximum, show your desire, head the ball and make the tackles.”
“You need moments from your top players, but this is a time when you need calm and that’s what West Ham showed here.”
De Zerbi’s employment is a big risk
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Take a look at the best parts from Roberto De Zerbi’s first press conference as Tottenham Hotspur head coach
Redknapp also believes hiring former Brighton manager De Zerbi, known for his bold, possession-based football, is a big risk for Spurs given their current predicament.
Asked before the result against West Ham whether De Zerbi’s arrival would change the relegation race, Redknapp replied: “I don’t know the answer to that. Is he a great manager? That’s for sure.”
“But the details and everything about his play reminds me of his time at Brighton and the way he plays from the back. If he starts demanding that from the Tottenham players, who don’t have any confidence at all, I think that’s a big risk at the moment.”
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Behind the scenes of Roberto De Zerbi’s first training session in charge of Spurs as he begins to form his new team (Video source: Tottenham Hotspur)
“All he needs to do is find a way to win, find his best XI and find a way to show the aggression and desire that has been missing so far.
“They have to play with more energy so they have a chance to stay up. But if you ask too much of your players and force them to make difficult decisions that they can’t handle, it’s not going to work.
“It can take a pre-season, or even six months, to achieve that kind of football. Usually it doesn’t work in one week.
“I know that this period of time when the players are away on international leave has worked very well, but for me it hasn’t changed much yet. They have to go to a tough place, the Stadium of Light, and get a result.”
Sunday, April 12th 1:00 p.m.
Kickoff at 2pm
Spurs’ next game against Sunderland will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from 1pm this Sunday, with kick-off at 2pm.
