For every modern manager who steps into the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Mauricio Pochettino remains the inescapable benchmark. During his five-year tenure, the club reached heights that have since felt like a distant memory.
Under the Argentine, Spurs enjoyed four successive top-four finishes and a miraculous surge to the Champions League final in 2019. It was a golden era defined by a thrilling, youthful squad and a sense of identity that permeated every corner of the club.
While a trophy ultimately eluded them, the period remains the standard against which all successors are measured. Now, Roberto De Zerbi is the man tasked with recapturing that lost magic and returning the club to its former status among Europe’s elite.
The immediate priority for the Italian is simple but grueling: survival. Tottenham finds itself in a precarious position, and the short-term goal is to avoid a catastrophic exit from the Premier League.
However, a five-year contract suggests that the board is looking far beyond the next seven matches. De Zerbi is here to build a new future, which inevitably means that not everyone currently in the squad will be part of the long-term journey.
The appointment is a significant gamble by the ENIC hierarchy; they have hired a famously combustible and demanding coach at a time when most experts suggested the club simply needed a calm hand to steady the ship.
On the pitch, the arrival of “De Zerbi-ball” will create clear winners and losers. One of the more surprising names who could find his position under threat is Pedro Porro.
While Porro has been a standout performer, De Zerbi has a distinct history of repurposing technical midfielders as inverted right-backs to dominate possession. We saw this at Brighton with Pascal Gross and Jack Hinshelwood. If De Zerbi decides he needs more ball-playing fluidity from that position, Porro’s traditional attacking-wingback role might be re-evaluated.
The midfield will also see a tactical shift that may not favor everyone. Players like Joao Palhinha, who excel at winning the ball and breaking up play, might find their skill sets at odds with a manager who demands a possession-heavy, patient build-up.
Similarly, January signing Conor Gallagher could face a challenge; his current pass accuracy of 80% is somewhat low for a De Zerbi system, which requires near-perfect ball retention under pressure. De Zerbi doesn’t just want effort; he wants clinical technical execution.
However, where some may struggle, others are poised to explode into superstardom. De Zerbi has already proven his ability to nurture elite midfield talent, having overseen the rapid rise of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister at Brighton.
This bodes incredibly well for Tottenham’s “crown jewels,” Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray. Gray, in particular, was a rare bright spot during the difficult reign of Igor Tudor, and under De Zerbi’s tutelage, he could develop into one of the league’s premier midfielders.
There is also immense intrigue surrounding Mohammed Kudus. The Ghanaian forward, currently working his way back to full fitness, was a primary target for De Zerbi back in 2023 before he eventually chose West Ham.
In a 4-2-3-1 system, Kudus is the perfect fit for the right flank—a “chaos agent” who can dribble, press, and score. But the most exciting prospect of all is the man who will likely occupy the central playmaking role: Xavi Simons.
During the Pochettino years, Christian Eriksen was the creative heartbeat of the team. Whether operating from the left or as a traditional number ten, the Dane was the engine behind Harry Kane’s goal-scoring exploits, racking up 58 goals and 75 assists.
Since his departure, Spurs have often lacked that specific “playmaking jewel.” While James Maddison has filled that gap at times, the 22-year-old Xavi Simons represents a new, more athletic version of that creative archetype.
Simons has already shown flashes of brilliance, most notably during a breakthrough performance against Atletico Madrid where he scored twice and dictated the tempo with five key passes. His ability to twist and turn in tight spaces while possessing the vision to unlock defenses has drawn direct comparisons to a young Eriksen.
Kevin Van Nunen, a Dutch football expert, noted that Simons is at a similar career crossroads to where Eriksen was during his own breakthrough. Simons offers that same creativity but combines it with a modern, explosive athleticism that makes him a nightmare for defenders.
| Player Comparison | Skill: Vision | Skill: Goal Scoring | Skill: Athleticism |
| Christian Eriksen | Elite | High | Moderate |
| Xavi Simons | High | High | Elite |
| Pascal Gross | Elite | Moderate | Moderate |
This “Eriksen-shaped” role is exactly where De Zerbi’s previous success stories have flourished. At Brighton, Pascal Gross was the primary creator, contributing 31 goal involvements over two seasons and creating 27 big chances.
While Gross was versatile enough to play defense, he was most effective as the number ten. Simons, currently valued at nearly £70 million, is the most valuable asset in the Tottenham squad. De Zerbi’s primary task beyond survival is to ensure the team is built entirely around the young Dutchman.
The transition will not be easy. The squad must adapt to a high-risk, high-reward style while fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table. But for the first time in a long time, there is a clear tactical blueprint. If De Zerbi can successfully integrate the defensive grit of the remaining veterans with the creative spark of Simons and the raw energy of Gray, Tottenham might finally stop looking back at the Pochettino era with longing and start looking forward to a new one. The benchmark has been set, and the “silent operator” at the helm is ready to meet it.
With the trip to Sunderland approaching, the focus is now entirely on the grass. De Zerbi knows he was hired to do what Tudor and Frank could not: provide a clear philosophy that wins games. The “New Eriksen” is ready, the “New Modric” in Lucas Bergvall is waiting, and the era of De Zerbi-ball is officially underway.
