Why De Zerbi's appointment appears stroke of genius as Tottenham implement plan to perfection

Roberto De Zerbi's appointment as Tottenham head coach was met with mixed reviews, but just over a month into his tenure, he is already looking like a shrewd choice.

After Igor Tudor's tumultuous 44-day reign, many were calling for stability and a calm head to steer the club out of the mire, and understandably, the decision to bring in the Italian was divisive amongst supporters.

Judging from his stints at Brighton and Marseille, you would think that the 46-year-old is a ticking time bomb, and that may still be true, but that bomb is unlikely to go off until next season at the earliest.

Now, the North Londoners are out of the relegation zone, having recorded not only their first victory of 2026 but back-to-back league wins for the first time since August.

Indeed, drafting in De Zerbi is not only a wise short-term decision by Tottenham, but it may be a smart one in the long term, too.

De Zerbi ball in full swing at Aston Villa

When the line-ups were announced prior to kick-off at Villa Park, Tottenham could not have believed their luck.

Following Aston Villa's underwhelming 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Europa League, Unai Emery made seven changes, with Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa benched, while John McGinn and Amadou Onana could not even make the squad.

Nevertheless, Spurs would still have to perform to take anything away from the game, and from the off, they never looked like coming away empty-handed.

In De Zerbi's opening couple of matches, it was obvious that he was trying to implement a high-energy, high-pressing game, but his players did not appear capable of doing so. Not here, though.

The Lilywhites trapped Villa in their own half, with every player hot on the press, preventing Emery's men from working the ball up the pitch and turning over possession with ease.

In attack, Tottenham were a constant threat, with Richarlison playing like his life depended on it and Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani reaping havoc on the wings.

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The midfield trio of Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha and Conor Gallagher bossed the Villains' depleted midfield, with the latter scoring his first goal for the club while producing his best performance in a Spurs shirt since his move from Atletico Madrid.

De Zerbi's defence was never truly troubled until it was too late for Aston Villa to fight back, with Micky Van de Ven and Kevin Danso a formidable centre-back partnership throughout.

Not only were the players in sync, but they fed off their supporters' immense energy, which was evident as Kolo Muani slapped the hands of every fan he encountered as he roared down the touchline, having been subbed.

If this is how the North London outfit performs for the rest of the season, then not only will they stay up, but there is every reason to be positive about the long road ahead.

Fixtures favour Tottenham

Not long ago, it did not matter who Spurs faced as they simply could not deliver a performance worthy of beating any team in the Premier League, but now things appear a lot more rosy.

Two of Tottenham's remaining games are at home, which should be a plus, although given how superior their away form has been, maybe they would rather be on the road.

However, home encounters with Leeds United and Everton are very winnable fixtures, especially now that Daniel Farke's side are safe with Noah Okafor out injured.

An away clash with Chelsea does not bring the fear factor that it used to, and although the Lilywhites' record against their rivals is dire, their current form is far superior.

As for their closest relegation rivals, West Ham, their controversial 1-0 defeat to title favourites Arsenal has not only dented their survival hopes, but their remaining fixtures now look a lot bleaker.

Then there is an away trip to rejuvenated Newcastle United before their most winnable fixture on the final day of the campaign against Leeds at the London Stadium, but now there is a chance they could be down before that even kicks off.

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Why Roberto De Zerbi could be the man for the long haul

De Zerbi's longest managerial stint was with Italian side Sassuolo, where he stayed for three years, but since then, he has not remained at a club for longer than 19 months.

The 46-year-old has vowed that he would remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium even if they were relegated to the Championship, with his contract taking him up to 2031.

However, if the Lilywhites do stay up, then there is no better man to take them forward than De Zerbi.

It has taken him just four matches to get his side playing exactly how he wants, and the results have not been bad either, taking seven points from his first four matches.

If they remain a Premier League side beyond this campaign, then Spurs will be expected to make up for their mishaps in previous transfer windows and sign quality players, while they may hold on to some of their prized assets.

Indeed, if the club can make the right decisions off the pitch, then that would appease the Italian, who will surely call for substantial reinforcements this summer regardless of the outcome.

In his last eight seasons as manager, he has never finished below 11th, with his sixth-placed finish with the Seagulls the best in the club's history and a second-placed finish with Marseille their joint best since 2010.

Right now, De Zerbi is appearing cool, calm and collected, and while there may be an Antonio Conte-esque meltdown scheduled for a later date, it will likely come with Tottenham a more stable Premier League club.

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