Well, it wasn’t pretty but Tottenham Hotspur are showing signs of emerging from the rubble of a disastrous two seasons.
Heading into the international break, the Lilywhites were sat in 20th spot in the Premier League. This was not in the script after an exciting summer of recruitment.
Alas, things are a tiny bit more positive after their 1-1 draw with Manchester United. They are now in 19th, after all.
That game threatened to be oh so Spursy following Rodrigo Bentancur’s sending off, but they showed signs of fight, perhaps for the first time in two years, but scoring a late equaliser with ten men.
So, what does the future hold? Well, whisper it quietly, but there is something of a Mauricio Pochettino-like nature to Roberto De Zerbi.
Has De Zerbi is evoking memories of Pochettino
Is De Zerbi a mad man? Quite possibly. Speaking after their match on Saturday night, the Italian revealed that he gave Bentancur a kiss after he was sent off, full well knowing that it gave his side the platform to go on and rescue a point.
It was a way of instilling some more belief, some more team spirit, something Pochettino was great at.
Every player makes mistakes and in this case it was an almighty one, but these Spurs players don’t need to feel any more scared than they already have been in recent seasons. Instead, they need freedom, they need clarity.
That’s precisely what De Zerbi is now starting to bring.
Sure, this has been another disastrous start to the season but there are positives. Tottenham have really struggled to create chances this season but up at Old Trafford that certainly wasn’t an issue. But for Dominic Solanke’s wasteful finishing, they would have been racing clear with all three points long before the red card. It was an improvement.
In the process of registering an expected goals tally of 2.03, it was their highest xG of the season. There is something to build on there as De Zerbi seeks to take this team to the same dizzy heights that Pochettino did.
Well, he’s going about in the right way. This week, Spurs are travelling to Spain. The purpose of this? Well, as the boss outlined, it’s “to work together, to stay together, to go for dinner together, to know better each other, because to be a team you have to know the team-mates, and be together.”
This is certainly Pochettino-like. He loved a team bonding exercise. Before the 2019 Champions League final, the Argentine led his players on a walk over hot coals. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose?
During this trip, De Zerbi will learn plenty about his players. Can he find the next Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Co? Spurs fans long for those days again.
De Zerbi is discovering a Poch-era Christian Eriksen
A key component of that Pochettino era was Christian Eriksen. Sure, it was Kane who banged in the goals, it was Heung-min Son who dazzled from the left. Eriksen, however, was the creative hub, he was the technically secure midfielder who the whole team could rely upon.
During his days at Tottenham, the Dane was a marvel from a creative standpoint. He scored 69 goals for Spurs, as well as producing 88 assists. There were very few better technical players in the Premier League than Eriksen in his prime.
So, where can Spurs find the next version? De Zerbi has plenty of options in the no.10 role.
Conor Gallagher was a workhorse last Saturday but lacks the same pizazz to take on Eriksen’s mantle. Likewise, Mateus Fernandes does not feel like a long-term option in that position. The manager revealed after the Aston Villa game that he “did not like the performance” of the summer signing.
James Maddison and Xavi Simons are viable options while Dejan Kulusevski is on the verge of making a long-awaited return from a lengthy injury lay-off.
However, might Sandro Tonali be the new Eriksen? He has struggled in the early exchanges of his Spurs career, notably outfought and outgunned by Mamadou Sangare on the opening weekend of the season when the Lilywhites lost away at Brentford.
£100m Tonali cost them in the summer; he was certainly not playing like that.
Yet, when they travelled to Old Trafford a few days ago, he proved why they paid such a big sum of money. In true Eriksen-style, it was the Italian who provided the vital assist.
Pulling out to the left-hand side of the penalty box, Tonali delivered an inch-perfect ball into the box for Solanke who bundled the ball home.
|
Tonali vs Man Utd |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
79 |
|
Accurate passes |
53/62 (85%) |
|
Chances created |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles |
1 |
|
Accurate crosses |
2/3 |
|
Defensive contributions |
9 |
|
Ball recoveries |
6 |
|
Duels won |
4/6 |
It was a performance in which he looked extremely secure in possession, completing 85% of his passes. However, he was willing to take risks. Only the two centre-backs, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, made more line-breaking passes than Tonali’s haul of 12.
During the course of the game, only Solanke ran a greater distance than the Italian’s 11.8 km/h.
It was a magnificent performance, one that actually saw Tottenham’s striker describe him as a “warrior” on Instagram. The injured Xavi Simons labelled him a “maestro”.
Both words are apt. Tonali may well play in a deeper role than Eriksen but he proved on Saturday he can make an impact in a similar zone as the Danish superstar.
Perhaps even more technically gifted than Eriksen was in the midfield, he’s finally looking like a £100m player.