Why Tottenham MUST keep faith with De Zerbi’s tactics despite being rock bottom of Premier League

TOTTENHAM entered the three-week international break BOTTOM of the Premier League following a disastrous start to the season. Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat to Aston Villa left them with just two points from their opening five games. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are yet to win a Prem match this term Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Spurs lost to Aston Villa last weekend Credit: PA Spurs’ start to the campaign could reasonably lead to questions regarding their manager Roberto De Zerbi. But it is not time to panic just yet. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Spurs lead the league in several statistical categories, including successful take-ons, progressive passes and corners – although they are 18th in expected goals. Despite their blunt attack and lack of points, there are tactical reasons for Tottenham fans to remain optimistic. Bermuda triangle De Zerbi is working in triangles. You can see that there’s work on the training ground happening because they’ve got players in positions to receive the ball and make it difficult for defences. And there are line-breaking passes going between the lines into people’s feet. It’s not chaotic, it’s structured. You’ve got a deep lying triangle that they’re dictating play from. And then you’ve got players in between the lines in positions to affect play higher up the field. It’s well-drilled, and it’s well-coached. I want them to get a bit higher up the field in more of a 3-1-6 and change that around slightly. But it’s not as bad as you might think it is. Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Line breakers They’ve got this linebreaking pass about to happen, but those Bermuda triangles, as we’ve called them, out wide, creating a problem for the opposition here, OK? So they’ve created a problem for Aston Villa here by pinning these players over with this triangle on that side. Those bermuda triangles, as we’ve called them, caused problems for Aston Villa on Saturday – and there were plenty of line-breaking passes into the likes of Mateus Fernandes. I don’t really want to see Fernandes as the number 10, but in this position he does manage to get himself between the lines. However, when you look at Spurs’ pass map, it really is quite telling. This is not a team that should be bottom of the league. They’re creating chances, high on possession stats, carrying the ball, they have dribblers. They’ve transformed these areas of their game, without yet being rewarded. Mateus Fernandes has so far been used largely as a No10 Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Deep flyer tactics Last season, Tottenham couldn’t get out of their defensive third. They can now, as they’re being well coached. The next bit, however, is creating more of a synergy between their attacking players when they do get into good positions. So many times this season thus far, Spurs have gotten into dangerous areas without capitalising, at times failing to even getting a shot away. But with more time for signings to gel, the likes of Omar Marmoush and Savio may get more in sync with their team-mates. Spurs have turned opponents around and got sprinters running behind, they’ve got those high flyers. But they’re not releasing the ball into these positions to send them away. They’re creating opportunities, but not turning those into high end chances. More minutes for James Maddison can make a difference, as he has the vision to play killer passes that others, including makeshift No10 Fernandes, have missed. Comment now