Roberto De Zerbi succeeds Igor Tudor as Tottenham manager, but is he the right man for the job? | OneFootball

Back in May 2023, Pep Guardiola described Roberto De Zerbi as “one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years,” after an impressive debut season at Brighton.

The Manchester City boss sang his praises a few months later for his ability to win matches in the absence of “top exceptional players.”

The Italian led Brighton to their first-ever European qualification in his first season when the Seagulls sealed a spot in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League after a 1-1 home draw with Pep’s City.

Now he has been drafted in to save Tottenham from Premier League relegation and rebuild the club in the next few years.

De Zerbi departed Brighton at the end of the following season for Ligue 1 side Marseille, who appointed him as manager in June, on a three-year contract. The 46-year-old led the club to a second-place finish in his debut season and secured UEFA Champions League football in the process.

The two parties parted ways mutually in February this year,  after a humiliating 5-1 defeat by rivals Paris Saint-Germain.

With just one point and goal difference separating Tottenham and West Ham in the relegation zone, going into the most recent international break, Spurs needed a manager who could immediately adapt to high-pressure environments after sacking both Thomas Frank and Tudor this season.

De Zerbi ticks the boxes after his time at Brighton and Marseille. Before that he made his name in  Italy ahead of an impressive spell at Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Throughout his career to date, De Zerbi has shown he can maximise his team’s performances at the highest level under the most challenging of conditions.

This would bode well for a Tottenham side who, while home to established players such as Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, currently have nine senior players sidelined due to injury.

The 46-year-old, known for his attacking possession-based football, could revive key players like Xavi Simons, whose game thrives in dominant attacking setups.

However, De Zerbi puts strong emphasis on a shorter build-up from the keeper and the ability of his players to receive the ball under pressure close to their own goal, and it is safe to say that Guglielmo Vicario, who is not known for his ball-playing abilities, could force the former Seagulls manager to reconsider his approach.

Meanwhile, fan opinion on his appointment remains divided. Three Tottenham supporters’ groups have opposed his appointment, citing his support of Mason Greenwood, while manager at Marseille.

In 2022, Greenwood was charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. These charges were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in February 2023, after the “withdrawal of key witnesses” and emergence of “new material.”

Despite this, there are still Spurs supporters keen on De Zerbi, especially with such a limited pool of proven coaches available at the moment.

But, with just seven games remaining to save their spot in the top division, all signs indicate Tottenham’s hierarchy believes the appointment of a Premier League-proven manager like De Zerbi is needed to keep their heads above water-  at least for now.