After two seasons of relegation battles, Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping for a much more settled season under Roberto De Zerbi. Things in North London have been far from straightforward in recent years, but there is hope that this season could finally bring some stability.
After initially joining with Spurs already under the cosh and hanging in the Premier League relegation zone, a defeat on his managerial debut against Sunderland left Tottenham on the back foot. However, two draws and two victories steered them out of trouble before a defeat to Chelsea left them going into the final game knowing they needed a victory and hoping that West Ham wouldn’t better their result in order to avoid the drop.
And that’s exactly what happened, as Tottenham enjoyed a 1-0 victory over Everton thanks to a goal from João Palhinha. In doing so, Tottenham could begin to rebuild and plan for another season in the Premier League, avoiding the horror show of a shock relegation to the Championship.
Spurs have been crafty in the transfer market. They’ve let go of Alejo Véliz, Alfie Devine, Luka Vuskovic, Tynan Thompson, Will Lankshear, Manor Solomon, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence, raking in a total of around £149 million.
In terms of incomings, they’ve brought in Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke, Martin Dúbravka, Liverpool’s Andy Robertson, Marco Senesi, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, as well as Cole Ramsey and Maxwell Adheji, who will boost the youth attack. Van Hecke, Robertson, Senesi, Fernandes and Tonali are all really good signings and should boost Tottenham going forward, meaning online bookmaker GGBet is predicting them to have a much better season than last time.
Roberto De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1 formation will likely be in play, with the holding midfielders Sandro Tonali and Lucas Bergvall allowing the three in front of them to attack.
Spurs have also enjoyed a solid pre-season. They started off with a win over MK Dons, before beating Auckland and then Sydney FC on penalties. They also beat Chelsea 2-1 in an all-Premier League affair, followed by a draw with Getafe. They ended pre-season with a 3-0 victory over Hoffenheim, which saw Richarlison score as well as a brace from youngster Mikey Moore, before a 2-2 draw behind closed doors the following day.
Tottenham begin their Premier League campaign with a trip to Brentford, followed by an EFL Cup match against Charlton, before Premier League business returns to White Hart Lane against Newcastle.
After a shocking few years for Tottenham, they will be hoping that this season will be much less chaotic and much more promising.
Although Romero had been a key part of Spurs throughout the years, his time there was very hit and miss. He’d have several good matches in a row, but then get sent off for a stupid challenge. Yes, his experience and leadership will be a miss, but the fact that he always seemed to be on edge will probably give Spurs a little bit of relief, especially with the likes of Van Hecke coming in, a much calmer and more composed centre-back.
With De Zerbi in charge and the way he can adapt his sides to play differently, by building out from the back, controlling possession, using midfield rotations and getting more out of his attacking players, it could be a much fresher and more relieving season for Tottenham.
He’s already proven himself with Brighton, where he guided them into Europe, and after keeping Tottenham in the Premier League last season, he’ll now be hoping he can get them challenging for the European positions once again.
With no European football this time around, it also gives them the chance to have extra breaks, rest and rotation, something that Tottenham have lacked massively over the last few seasons.