Did Roberto De Zerbi's Spurs give Tottenham any hope in ultimate relegation humiliation?

Roberto De Zerbi wasn't supposed to ride on his white horse and declare himself as Tottenham's saviour upon his debut game in charge of the club, but Sunday's defeat to Sunderland was exactly what the Italian and Spurs didn't want from the first game under their latest manager. 

West Ham's victory had already put the North Londoners into the bottom three on Friday night, and by the end of the game, one of just seven De Zerbi has to stop the unthinkable, they remain under the dotted line with relegation fear starting to turn into downright panic. 

One of the concerns around the appointment of De Zerbi was just how long it would take the manager to implement his style of play on his troops. With the infamous 'De Zerbi-ball' being rolled out in explanation at his former clubs. 

That was far from evident at the Stadium of Light, but did we learn anything from the defeat that may give fans any hope in halting their one-way slide to the Championship? 

Looking to dominate 

De Zerbi has been known for wanting his teams to dominate midfield, and going into his first game, it looked as though he wanted to quickly implement that on this Spurs team, who have often been bossed off the ball and failed to get a grip on games. 

Conor Gallagher and Archie Gray were charged with the two safekeepers of the ball in his 4-2-3-1 system, with Lucas Bergvall in the more advanced 10 role. Unfortunately, the plan didn't pay off. Bergvall, short of match fitness, failed to impact on the match and had the fewest touches of any Spurs player in the first half.
 

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Gray and Gallagher, meanwhile, failed to make an imprint. They were far too loose in possession, not aggressive enough in the press, and allowed Sunderland to have the ball and play through them. It was no surprise, then, to see De Zerbi change tack after the hour. 

Given more time on the training pitch - and bear in mind he doesn't have a lot - the idea could very well work, and the personnel is the right profile. But he'll need Bergvall to be match fit (or Simons if he chooses to swap) and Gallagher, who hasn't been allowed to find his best form, to find some, having signed for such a struggling side. 

Yet, it was a first failed experiment for the new gaffer. 

Reviving the attack 

Another one of Spurs' many issues this season has been finding a reliable source of goals from their attack.

None of the current squad has reached double figures so far this season - Richarlison has nine - while Mohammed Kudas leads the way on assists, and he's been out injured since the turn of the year. 

De Zerbi's answer on Sunday was to play all three of Tottenham's perceived big goal threats in the Brazilian, Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani in a bid to try and implement a bigger threat. 

Again, as a first attempt, it didn't work. The trio were largely ineffective, but as a notion, it may give an insight into how the former Brighton man sees trying to get the best out of his attacking options. 
 

Addressing the obvious 

Perhaps the best thing De Zerbi did this weekend was address the ongoing fear that is clearly suffocating the club. 

There's no point in trying to bury the narrative around the club, and better to acknowledge the players' mentality that is affecting their performances, where they've failed to win a single league game in 2026.

The image of a tearful Cristian Romero leaving the pitch on Sunday was further evidence of the weight that's bearing heavily on this crop of individuals. 

When asked in the wake of the defeat on Wearside whether his players fear relegation, he said "I think so" but offered a crumb of hope in turning that mentality around. 
 

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Saying, “I am 46 years old, I have much [more] experience than the players, and I am positive absolutely because I know them as a guy and as players,” De Zerbi said.

“And for that, I am positive. Not because we are Tottenham or because I have to be positive. No. They have the quality enough to win one game, and the target now, the closer target is to win one game, because if we win a game, we can see everything in a different way.”

As far as green shoots go, there wasn't too much sprouting out from the performance against the Black Cats. 

No new manager bounce, no all-out, back-to-the-wall mentality that Spurs need right now, but the acknowledgment along may clear the air ahead of the last do-or-die six games.

Ironically, that starts against De Zerbi's old club Brighton - the league's most in-form side - where positives need to turn into points, or the unthinkable will soon become the inevitable.

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