The arrival of Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur marks a massive shift in how the team is expected to play. The club’s leadership, including Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange, put in a huge amount of effort and a very large financial package to make sure the Italian manager signed on the dotted line right away.
However, now that the excitement of the appointment has settled, the reality of the squad depth is starting to set in. De Zerbi is famous for a very specific, high-risk style of football that requires players to be incredibly calm and skilled when they have the ball at their feet. Because of this, there are several players currently in the Spurs squad who simply do not fit his vision. These players might find themselves out of the team much faster than they expected.
One of the first players who might struggle under the new regime is Radu Dragusin. While Dragusin was a big name coming out of Italy, his history there is a bit mixed. He spent time at Juventus but never really established himself as a top-tier talent during the years De Zerbi was managing Sassuolo. It was only later at Genoa that he started to make a name for himself. The problem for Dragusin, which is becoming very obvious to Spurs fans, is his lack of ability when he has the ball.
In a modern system, especially one run by De Zerbi, a center-back has to be more than just a defender who hits the ball away. They have to be like a playmaker from the back. Dragusin is a hard worker and a strong physical presence, but his passing and his composure under pressure are nowhere near the level required for this new system.
De Zerbi values ball security above almost everything else, and if a defender cannot reliably pass the ball forward or keep it under pressure, they become a liability. It is very likely that Dragusin will be sidelined in favor of defenders who are more comfortable starting attacks.Moving into the midfield, Conor Gallagher is another player who looks like a poor fit for what is coming next.
Many people praised the move to bring Gallagher to the club because of his work rate and his experience in the Premier League, but those “buzzwords” do not help much when a manager wants technical perfection. Gallagher has struggled to justify his transfer, largely because he lacks the creative spark needed to unlock defenses. He is often criticized for playing it safe and passing the ball sideways rather than looking for a dangerous forward pass.
For a manager like De Zerbi, who wants his midfielders to be brave and find gaps in the opposition’s lines, Gallagher’s style is almost the exact opposite of what is needed. Watching Gallagher struggle to move the ball quickly might be incredibly frustrating for the new coach. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him fall down the pecking order quickly, especially since players like Yves Bissouma have shown a much better ability to drive the ball forward and take risks that pay off.
The situation for Joao Palhinha is also quite dire under the new management. Palhinha is a specialist at breaking up play and defending the space in front of the back four. He is excellent at tackling and occasionally pops up with a spectacular long-range goal. However, his technical ability on the ball is widely considered to be his weakest point. In De Zerbi’s world, even the defensive midfielder needs to be a master of the ball.
Palhinha’s tendency to struggle with his distribution means he might not be able to keep up with the fast-paced, short-passing combinations that the Italian manager demands. There are already rumors that Palhinha might be heading back toward a move to a club like Bayern Munich, as his future at Tottenham looks very uncertain. With De Zerbi likely to prefer younger, more technically gifted players like Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, the veteran Portuguese international could find himself watching from the sidelines.
When you look at the younger talent available, it becomes clear why players like Gallagher and Palhinha are in trouble. De Zerbi has a reputation for trusting young players who have the technical foundation to play his way. Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray are exactly the types of players who can thrive under this kind of coaching. They are comfortable in tight spaces, they have a high football IQ, and they aren’t afraid to receive the ball under pressure.
Once Rodrigo Bentancur returns to full fitness, the midfield competition will become even more intense. Bentancur has the elegance and passing range that De Zerbi loves, which further narrows the path to the starting lineup for the more limited players.In the end, a change in manager always leads to winners and losers within a squad. Roberto De Zerbi is not a coach who compromises on his principles.
He would rather play a younger, less experienced player who fits his system than an established star who slows the game down. For Dragusin, Gallagher, and Palhinha, the writing seems to be on the wall. They are players built for a different style of football—one that relies on grit and physical defending rather than tactical fluidity and passing accuracy. As Tottenham begins this new chapter, it is clear that the “old way” of doing things is being pushed aside to make room for a much more demanding and technical approach.
The fans might have to say goodbye to some familiar faces very soon as the squad is reshaped to meet the high standards of their new Italian boss.
