Roberto De Zerbi has had two Premier League wins with Tottenham. That is not a lot. But according to a detailed tactical profile published by BBC Sport, there is something structurally different about the way Spurs are now playing – and the difference is worth taking seriously.
The piece, written by BBC football tactics correspondent Umir Irfan, focuses on Spurs’ 2-1 win at Aston Villa on 3 May. It is, as Irfan acknowledges, a small sample size. But the patterns being described are not accidental.
Pressing With a Plan
What stood out at Villa Park was not the possession play De Zerbi is known for – it was the defensive structure. Spurs pressed in coordinated waves, using Richarlison to block Villa’s central passing lanes and angle Emiliano Martinez away from his preferred outlets.
Rodrigo Bentancur stepped up from midfield to cover the spaces Richarlison vacated. Randal Kolo Muani pressed Villa’s left centre-back while Pedro Porro covered wide options behind him. According to the BBC profile, these were not individual decisions – they were triggered responses to specific opponent actions, rehearsed and co-ordinated.
The result: Spurs have won possession in the final third 5.3 times per game on average under De Zerbi – the highest figure for any team under a single manager this season, per the BBC’s data. That number captures intent more than outcomes, but it is a real signal.
Rotations That Pull Shape Apart
In possession, the BBC profile traces how De Zerbi used overlapping roles to stretch Villa’s 4-4-2. Joao Palhinha and Bentancur alternated dropping into a back three, creating overloads against Villa’s front two. Destiny Udogie pushed high and central while a midfielder filled in at left-back behind him.
On the other flank, Porro’s movement infield dragged Morgan Rogers out of position, opening space for Conor Gallagher to exploit numerical advantages on the right. These are the rotations De Zerbi built at Brighton and carried to Marseille – adapted here to a squad that is more physical than technical, leaning on Richarlison as a pressing target rather than a pure build-up player.
The BBC’s earlier profile of De Zerbi’s methods, published in April, flagged that his system asks defenders and midfielders to accept pressure and play through it – a demand that has broken other squads. That the current Spurs group is executing it at all, after three managers and months of drift, is something.
Belief as a Tactical Component
Irfan makes the point plainly in his conclusion: none of these patterns work without a squad that believes in what the manager is telling them. De Zerbi, according to the BBC, has been single-minded in his messaging – Spurs need to trust themselves, or they go down.
That is not an original thought. But De Zerbi’s track record as a demanding, uncompromising presence gives it more weight than a motivational speech from a caretaker. The question for Spurs now is whether two wins is a trend or a blip – and whether the coordination visible against Villa survives a tougher test.
There are enough reasons to be sceptical. There are, for the first time in a while, also enough reasons to watch closely.
