Roberto De Zerbi knows talk is cheap in bid to turn Tottenham around
Roberto De Zerbi’s relentless show of positivity must soon produce points as favourable run begins
Two weeks after returning from their summer holidays, pupils will have left school with their dreaded first homework assignment.
asserted
pupils → know → assignment
Football is no different — you are taught throughout the week before being asked to implement your newfound knowledge over the weekend.
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you → teach → weekend
After a stuttering start to the season — Spurs are winless and without a league goal after four games — De Zerbi has handed his players maths, physics and psychology homework.
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Zerbi → hand → homework
They have been made to analyse their positioning and their reaction speed.
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They → make → positioning
But perhaps most importantly, they have also been asked to look inward and work on not rushing their decision-making in the final third.
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they → ask → third
“In the meeting with the players, we spoke about the last third of the pitch, and I said, now I want to create individual clips for all players, for after dinner, for the players to go home and work and improve as a joke,” De Zerbi said with a smile as he addressed the media earlier this week.
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he → speak → media
“I brought the homework to the players.
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I → bring → players
While it may have been said tongue in cheek, De Zerbi is serious about addressing his side’s profligacy in front of goal.
uncertain
Zerbi → say → goal
I believe in my players, I believe in this project, I believe in this club
Roberto De Zerbi
Against Everton last weekend, they got into good positions but couldn’t take their chances.
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they → believe → chances
A smattering of boos at full-time spoke to a simmering frustration that De Zerbi will want to nip in the bud.
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Zerbi → speak → bud
That pattern has repeated itself, with Spurs better than their results suggest.
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results → repeat → itself
As we approach a cabin-fever-inducing three-week international break, De Zerbi will be desperate for that to change.
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that → approach → break
Spurs are not the only team struggling to put results together and their next three league games will provide a clearer picture of where De Zerbi’s side are at.
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side → struggle → where
On Saturday they host Aston Villa, who themselves are winless after a summer of significant change, before taking on beleaguered Manchester United and newly promoted — and without a single point — Coventry City after the international break.
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who → host → break
If Spurs are to prove they are merely suffering from early-season growing pains, then it is imperative they start to come out of their shell and show more personality and decisiveness.
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they → prove → personality
De Zerbi has unanimous internal backing.
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Zerbi → have → backing
The Italian’s collaborative, hands-on approach is considered refreshing and he is a positive spokesperson for the club.
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he → consider → club
Sooner rather than later, though, he will be judged on results over rhetoric.
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he → judge → rhetoric
De Zerbi’s policy of relentless positivity will, at some point, have to be matched by Spurs’ position in the league table.
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policy → have → table
After they were dismantled 3-0 by Brentford over the opening weekend, Spurs have since shown signs of improvement.
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Spurs → dismantle → improvement
They had chances to take the lead before crashing out to Liverpool in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
A vicious cycle
Spurs are stuck in a vicious cycle.
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Spurs → have → cycle
They start games in the ascendancy, fail to take their chances and then let the opposition come to them as confidence and energy levels plummet.
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levels → start → them
De Zerbi is then left to traipse out the same line about mentality.
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Zerbi → leave → mentality
At the start of the season he said the club’s expenditure, in excess of £300million, could not buy the mentality shift needed for his side to compete at the top table.
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side → say → table
Now, he says Spurs need something to “click” but does not know when that catalysing moment will occur.
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moment → say → something
“I don’t know if we are able to make this click Saturday,” De Zerbi admitted, as he fielded yet more questions about his team’s struggles in front of goal at Anfield.
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he → know → Anfield
De Zerbi retains the hunger, passion and confidence in his team.
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Zerbi → retain → team
“I believe in my players, I believe in this project, I have no doubt, I believe in this club,” he said.
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he → believe → club
He insists they are close to a breakthrough but knows it is futile to talk about ifs, buts and maybes.
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it → insist → ifs
“For sure we have to improve.”
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we → have → ?
The main worry is that it is hard to quantify an issue that is, more than anything, a mental block.
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that → quantify → anything
De Zerbi is asking for a show of faith, without much indication that things will change anytime soon.
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things → ask → indication
You can’t throw money at culture.
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You → throw → culture
It has to grow organically, which is why De Zerbi will not be rushed.
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Zerbi → have → ?
“It’s a pleasure going for dinner with my players,” he said of the team’s trip to the Mediterranean restaurant Bacchanalia last week.
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he → ’ → restaurant
Spurs’ trip to the same restaurant late last season coincided with an upturn in form that secured their Premier League survival.
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that → coincide → survival
For a team that has routinely reached new lows over the last year, De Zerbi wants to restore that familial connection.
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Zerbi → reach → connection
Spurs have become dehumanised to collective suffering, joy and freedom.
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Spurs → become → suffering
De Zerbi has taken steps to address this.
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Zerbi → take → this
He was clear in the summer that those whose hearts were not in the project were free to leave.
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hearts → leave → project
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
