How De Zerbi Has Completely Reinvented Tottenham

Tottenham are stepping into a new era under Roberto Di Zerbi, building a midfield for ball progression, truly adopting the Italian philosophy and fixing some of their longest standing and biggest issues. But how exactly are they doing it? Well I'm Jacob Horsfall, 442's resident tactician and this is how Roberto Di Zerbi is revolutionising Tottenham Hotspur. He's been the outstanding attacking threat tonight. To understand how Spurs' new signings come in and play into Di Zerbi's plan, we've first got to understand what his actual plan is. In pre-season we've seen a 2-4 build-up with all six players having plenty of discourse to pull the opposition in and then play into new speeds found by the opposition stepping out. Which is classic Roberto Di Zerbi. Press baiting is arguably what he's most known for, but he's only just being able to properly implement it on the Spurs team. Once they've beaten the press, you'll then see more of a settled 3-1 backline shape. Then there's two very important players just ahead of that build-up, it's two more advanced players in the pockets, allowing them to have access into the opposition's block once the opposition have been pulled out. Again, another Di Zerbi classic, but not one that we saw too much of, or at least not at the level that Di Zerbi would have wanted last season. Here against Everton it's more of a 2-3 build-up on the halfway line, with notably Joao Pelinha, one of the midfielders, pulling wide out of the centre and into more open space. Now it's pre-season, so we can't use an overly tactical lens, there's so many things that are based on player fitness, things that may change before the season starts. But there are some small suggestions that the new signings that have arrived this summer are moulding Di Zerbi's in-possession, stable control possession. However, it's not all beautiful sunshine and rainbows, there's still a problem and it comes with these two number 10s, who are getting themselves in great positions in the pockets, but once the ball comes into them, they're struggling to then take it to the next level, going into the final third. Which may well be addressed by James Madison coming back from injury, or Destiny Odogi coming in and being able to get on the underlap through the centre, but right now there is a slight problem, which is leading to this. Lots of counter-pressing by Tottenham, and that's not a bad thing because I've been really, really impressed with the way Tottenham have operated without the ball in this pre-season. They are man-to-man in this situation, but keep an eye on this Auckland midfielder, because as Tottenham force the ball wide, this midfielder is cut off entirely. There is no access into him, which means that the Tottenham midfielder who's marking him can eventually drop off, and then look to cut the passing lines to any other central players that Auckland are trying to play into. So as much as there's maybe some teething issues in possession, which is to be expected with Di Zerbi getting his first pre-season, he's a very meticulous manager, he wants things to go in a certain way, but there's been a lot of positives out of possession, the press being good, people starting to grow into it, obviously getting fitness up, it's pre-season, but there is a few questions that still need answering. What do the summer signings have to do with it all? Matthias Fernandes, that is an extraordinary effort. Last season, Tottenham's midfield was their weak point for me. If we look at their most used midfielders based on minutes, it's Jao Pelinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Xavi Simões, and with them three, there's a serious trend. All three have their own strengths, but none of them strengths are progressive passing. As a result, Spurs would really struggle to penetrate teams with the ball on the floor, so would end up cutting the ball back, sending it long, and relying on variables and unreliable patterns, especially under, do I dare say his name? Thomas Frank. This sequence that I'm about to show you is such a small little piece of quality, but it changes everything for Tottenham. As Sandro Tonali is about to receive the ball here, there's four Chelsea players around him, all within distance to cut off his passing lanes, press him, take the ball off him, but instead of Tonali being safe, maybe bouncing the ball backwards or taking a touch sideways to then play sideways, he does the most simple option. He takes a first-time pass that goes straight through three of the Chelsea players that are coming to press him, and gets Tottenham in beyond Chelsea's midfield block and running toward goal, which for me is just something I wouldn't have expected to see from any Tottenham midfielder last season, and it's bizarre because there's so many benefits to having midfielders who can break the lines, even if it's the most simpler pass, and Tonali and even Matias Fernandes as well, they bring that to this Tottenham team. Because last season, against teams who did look to press this Tottenham team high, Romero was almost picked on. He was their best ball progressor, someone who could fire balls through the lines willy-nilly, but teams caught onto that fairly quickly. They would cut off any of his access into the forward line, and that meant that the ball would go to other of the defenders or the midfielders, who then couldn't play through the lines the same way as Romero, so teams could just turn over the ball from poor passers. Which is why I think as much as Tottenham spending 100 million on Tonali, 80-odd million on Matias Fernandes is a lot of money, it is essential. It was something that had to happen this summer, and it changes spurs entirely. The new Portuguese Londoner, Matias Fernandes, has the ability to open up his body, flat-footing surrounding defenders, before reversing the ball straight through the opposition, taking out a whole line of their defensive block. As a result, so many of the teams Fernandes has been in, have been able to trust him with being calm, being secure with possession, being able to be that real progressive passer and make the right decision. Which isn't just about passing, decision-making is also heavily about ball security. Last season, when the Spurs pivot received the ball with their back to goal, it only resulted in one thing, them being hounded, and the ball probably going back the way it came from, or a high turnover for the opposition. Sandro Tonali instead looks to receive and then use his frame to burst across the defender and protect the ball. For Tottenham, that gives them more security in possession, which means they can then play with a little bit more risk when they have the ball. In pre-season, Fernandes has already shown his ability to ghost on his marker's blindside, then burst into a little bit of space, receiving under new pressure, and then finding a way to play forward into an attacker in a dangerous position. However, it's all well and good having these midfielders who are press resistant, who are line breakers, who can progress the ball from any position, but you've got to get them on the ball. And to do that, you need defenders who can also pass a football. Cristian Romero sat 12th in the squad for passes into the final third. He was vital to Tottenham having any hope or dream of progressing the ball. And he's left. So they had to replace him, which they have done. Van Geck played the fifth most passes per 90 in the entirety of the Premier League during Deserby's last season at Brighton. Already, the Dutchman's calmness in possession has influenced Tottenham's football, which really shouldn't come as a surprise, because with Van Geck and when it comes to calmness, when it comes to reliability on the ball, it doesn't get much better in England than Van Geck. But this position here is what I imagine gets Roberto Deserby absolutely buzzing for the season to start, because when the opposition have shut down all of the midfield options of Van Geck's side, he has the ability to then identify space in beyond or into the front line and then play a perfectly weighted ball onto those runners up top. So when we see Deserby's side sitting in the mid third, passing the ball about, baiting the opposition out to make them step, I imagine we're going to see Van Geck play some beautiful balls into one of those forwards who are isolated 1v1 and then goals happen. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, goals. In pre-season, we've seen Tottenham's attacking line create these 1v1s against the back line of the opposition and the wingers have absolutely taken to it, especially Matty's Tell. He's someone who can get the ball, drive himself into the box and then commit a defender before bursting past him and giving you a little bit of final product without really taking much out of it, which is exciting. Not only Van Geck's passing range and his ability to break lines, but how Deserby's system can be raised a level with it with the likes of Matty's Tell, Wilson Odebert, Destinio Doggi, reap the rewards of that football. Now, I know Odebert's not going to be back for a long while, but any of those wingers, any of those players who want to burst in beyond or get the ball out wide, they will thrive with a player who can find them from anywhere on the pitch. Now, it is only pre-season and we have a long, long way to go yet, but there's early signs that Roberto Deserby has finally been able to properly make his mark on this Tottenham team. Last season wouldn't have gone the way he wanted to in terms of implementing his tactical style because it was do or die and obviously Tottenham did. They got away with it, they managed to stay up and this summer has been arguably one of the best summers in Tottenham's last 20, arguably history. But will it all work? Some of the signings are smart, some of them are good, but it all comes down to the Premier League. Auckland are playing against Arsenal. It's not quite the same. But if you have enjoyed today's video, please leave a like and subscribe. We'll be back again next week for more analysis. The Premier League is round the corner, ladies and gentlemen. And yeah, I'll see you all next week. See you in a bit.