A Storm on the Sidelines

At one point, Roberto De Zerbi was the most promising manager in the Prem, with an exciting Brighton squad. A series of crashouts and failures turned a once-promising career into one that now brings dread.

For a Tottenham side looking to return to Europe, especially with their large summer investments, the marriage between the two is already on the rocks.

After having helped guide Spurs out of the relegation zone last season, many hoped that the Italian would bring back that Brighton form. Instead, the De Zerbi cycle started a season early.

Similar to Mourinho, just without the trophies or skill, a multi-season cycle follows him. The Italian manages to be a massive personality, while bringing sustained success in the first season. Before the second year even begins, he alienates everyone, including the players, before leaving.

With how disastrous his final season at Marseille ended, it made no sense for Spurs to bring him in. Yes, he found a way to keep the club out of the relegation zone, but De Zerbi never truly instilled hope. Especially as Brighton continue to succeed without him, one must wonder how much of the winning during that period can truly be attributed to him.

For half a decade, De Zerbi dined on a brief spell with Brighton, but failed to find that same form elsewhere.

Should he fail with this Spurs side, considering their summer window, his career at the top of football might be over. 

In his first presser with Spurs, De Zerbi tried to brush away responsibility for his role in trying to rehabilitate the image of Mason Greenwood. Rather than a one-time attempt to distance himself from a shameful act, his actions fit into what is becoming the De Zerbi cycle.

Every first season begins with the manager winning over the fans with promises of trophies, all delivered with his trademark charisma. Given the track record he clings to from Brighton, any fanbase can lull themselves into believing in him. This character of a confident yet charming manager who steps in to rescue a club via fun football and atmosphere makes his hiring a dream.

One of the aspects that De Zerbi really hammers home is how he will defend his players in an attempt to build a family. This leads to the manager being willing to defend any player, no matter the accusations.

On the pitch, his brand of high pressing and high-flying offense lets his side blitz opponents. Attackers thrive there; it’s no coincidence so many wingers have their best years under him, bringing champagne football to any club. For a moment, once the final whistle in his first season blows, every dream promised in that first presser feels likely to come true.

However, with a system that isn’t too sophisticated, the moment that any sort of issue pops up, the wheels completely fall off. Continuing to use his time in the south of France as an example, the rough start to his second season made everything unravel. Within a few months, the club plummeted down the standings, as he got into public spats with ownership and fans.

Not even the vibes he tried to instill in the team found safety, as his second season opened up with a brawl between two key players. Furthermore, the Italian’s treatment of Ismaël Koné, where he essentially kicked the player out of the club for no reason, ran counter to his promises. In fact, the only player apparently above any criticism for him was Greenwood, until both parties left Marseille.

For all his talk about the environment he intends to create, De Zerbi only creates chaos.

While on the pitch that chaos works for a season, everything ends up biting him soon afterward.

Predicting that De Zerbi will be out as Tottenham manager by the end of 2026 feels safe. The club invested too much into this squad to allow for the De Zerbi cycle to sink in.

Everything hinged around Tudor finishing last season guiding the club out of their tailspin. The moment he proved incapable of the task, they ran to De Zerbi. In turn, once he led them out of the relegation zone, Spurs locked him into the role of their manager for the future.

Rather than bringing in a new manager and using these funds to build the next era of Spurs, they opted to keep the Italian. Nothing about his previous stint hinted that de Zerbi was any sort of long-term manager. To be fair, a short-term fix may be why Spurs stuck with him, but it still feels short-sighted.

The issue with de Zerbi revolves around the volatility that he always brings in. Given how poorly Spurs started this season, a sustained poor run promises to bring nothing great.

After becoming the darling of the Prem in the early 2020s, only Graham Potter rivals de Zerbi in terms of managers whose image has taken massive hits. Not surprisingly, both former Brighton managers saw their stocks fall while the Gulls continue to remain an upper half side.

Since letting go of Potch, Spurs alternated between promoting managers from smaller sides or giving former top managers a second shot. The Italian falls between both extremes, but possesses none of the successes of either extreme. Instead, de Zerbi exists in this middle ground that offers nothing to clubs with larger ambitions.

With the investments made by Spurs, nothing less than a hot start was required.

Roberto de Zerbi’s poor form bodes poorly for his future both in London and the Prem.

By sticking with de Zerbi, Spurs tied themselves to whatever his cycle dictates. For a club desperate to return to Europe, as proven by their transfers, a risk of this magnitude feels like a bad bet.

On the other hand, de Zerbi gets one last chance to scam another club with his cycle.