Cum De Zerbi a adus înapoi viața Tottenham Hotspur

ByUmir IrfanFootball tactics correspondent4 May 2026, 16:18 BSTUpdated 6 minutes agoRoberto de Zerbi’s Spurs look like a revived outfit after claiming their second straight win – a 2-1 victory at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa.Having been coached by three managers – Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor and now De Zerbi – with strongly opposing styles this season, Spurs seem to be coming together despite the short time their new boss has had with them.With renewed confidence paired with tactical principles that have simplified his players’ decision-making process, Spurs’ squad and fans will be quietly optimistic things have changed for the better and they can avoid the drop.And De Zerbi deserves much of the credit given the way he has set up his team.Has tide turned for troubled Spurs under De Zerbi?17 hours agoA huge night for Spurs – but who are favourites to go down?16 hours agoImage source, Getty ImagesAggressive pressing nullifies Villa’s build-upDe Zerbi is usually praised for how his sides build from the back, but Spurs’ defensive work stood out most against Villa on Sunday.Unai Emery’s team have opted to build short and centrally before speeding up play when space opens higher up the pitch this season – not too dissimilar from the principles De Zerbi tends to opt for in possession.To counter this, De Zerbi asked Spurs to press aggressively while blocking the middle of the pitch.Richarlison was key to the plan, positioning himself partly to block the pass into Villa’s right centre midfielder Lamare Bogarde, while angling his body to discourage Emiliano Martinez from playing down Villa’s right.Next to him, De Zerbi opted for Conor Gallagher who marked Youri Tielemans.Image source, Premier LeagueAt times, Richarlison pressed Martinez with Rodrigo Bentancur then stepping up from midfield to take responsibility for Bogarde. The Spurs trio in this way ensured Villa’s central midfielders were unable to receive the ball unmarked.Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel also had important roles. Kolo Muani often positioned himself between Tyrone Mings and Ian Maatsen. If Martinez played to left centre-back Mings, Kolo Muani pressed intensely while angling his run to block the pass into Maatsen. But if Maatsen looked likely to receive freely, Pedro Porro stepped up from right-back. Spurs reacted to these pressing triggers with an impressive level of coordination.Image source, Premier LeagueVilla’s centre-backs and full-backs were marked which meant Martinez and Mings were limited to looking for their attackers who dropped deep centrally. Spurs ultimately funnelled Villa’s play down the middle while also setting up to have numerous players in that area of the pitch.Tottenham were also ready to follow Villa’s dropping forwards when this happened, with Kevin Danso particularly aggressive in stepping out to Ross Barkley, winning the ball and starting attacks.When Villa played those riskier passes, Spurs’ attackers immediately turned and pressed backwards, converging