Roberto de Zerbi's first task on arriving at Tottenham in March was to avoid relegation from the Premier League. With that mission accomplished, he has had time and money over the summer to start creating a new-look Spurs to aim higher. When De Zerbi first arrived in the Premier League at Brighton in September 2022, he introduced new tactical concepts that were admired by some of the league's best.
At the time, Pep Guardiola called him "one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years". De Zerbi's ideas were copied - and he was primarily influential around how he coached build-up play. The sight of the centre-backs standing tall, studs on the ball, waiting for the opposition forwards to become impatient before closing them down felt unnatural but it was purposeful.
This pressure was the cue for ball-playing centre-backs to combine with nearby holding midfielders, using slick one-touch passing combinations before punching daring passes to their forwards. The speed at which a De Zerbi side could, and still can, turn slow meticulous possession in their own half into one-against-one situations for the attackers is a hallmark of his approach. But the game has changed - and with it, De Zerbi has sought to evolve.
In pre-season, one of the most common situations Spurs have faced has been around the middle of the pitch with the ball at the feet of their centre-backs. Here, De Zerbi's side will look to do some of the same things of old - standing on the ball, waiting for pressure, looking to play through the centre of the pitch, aiming to find the attackers high up the field in space. Given how effective De Zerbi's approach was in 2022, coaches have since made a conscious effort to nullify those same tactics.
Knowing De Zerbi's sides aim to play vertically through the middle of the pitch, the first thing teams have looked to do is block that path. Opposing teams can set up with a very narrow defensive shape, making it hard for Spurs' centre-backs to find the holding midfielders. So De Zerbi has had to come up with new solutions - either by pulling the central players out of position, or by progressing the ball down the flanks.
This can be illustrated with an example from Spurs' 3-0 win against Hoffenheim in pre-season. Hoffenheim set up in a 4-4-2 defensive mid-block. What stands out is how narrow this shape was.
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