By the time Saturday rolls around, it will have been 616 days since Tottenham last won three Premier League games on the bounce. Three different managers have come and gone since the feat was last achieved, none able to steer Spurs to a streak of more than two.
Roberto De Zerbi is the latest boss to try his hand at the hat-trick. Wins over Coventry City and Chelsea have preceded this weekend’s meeting with Crystal Palace, live on Sky Sports. The elusive treble is within reach.
To right such a wrong would be a huge stepping stone for Spurs under De Zerbi. Not only would the result propel them into the top half of the table, but its potential to heal the wounded Spurs psyche would surely be invaluable.
Dr Tottenham have long been craving a healer of their own. A manager who is able to match stylistic promise with sound leadership. Many thought the pursuit of a fiery Italian known to be volatile in previous roles was a high-risk appointment, and yet the gamble had obvious growth potential. A way back from anonymity.
Saturday 31st October 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
Instead of finding endless ways to lose games, either by shrinking from the fight or being unable to resist the temptation to self-destruct, Spurs have started to exhibit discipline and control in their performances.
Tottenham finally have a tactical plan. There is structure and identity to their patterns of play, working in packs to adhere to De Zerbi’s demands of an aggressive man-to-man press. Since he took charge in March, only three teams have forced more high turnovers (120) and won more possessions in the final third (72).
“I think we have suffered enough,” De Zerbi said after beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the first time since April 2018, harking back to halcyon days under Mauricio Pochettino. “The results of the past are not our responsibility. We are working to change the mentality of our club.”
Spurs trumping their rivals at the Bridge without conceding had not happened since December 1986, but of course the real power is in how De Zerbi legitimises what he describes as a “different Tottenham”.
Two wins will not count for much if consolidation does not follow. Spurs need to prove themselves to be a collective that are no longer bullied out of results over a sustained period. One that has left the chaos of recent regimes in the past.
Key to that strategy is keeping their best players fit. A simple truth is that one of the north Londoners’ greatest failings of recent seasons has been player availability. Just look what happens when ‘special’ James Maddison plays. Only Arsenal have won more Premier League points than Spurs since his return. That is no coincidence.
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James Maddison puts Spurs ahead with a stunner in their Premier League victory over Coventry.
But something more has clicked. In their last three league outings, Spurs have run further and harder than in their opening five games, covering more distance and incorporating more high-speed running. Goals have begun to flow with better consistency, too, their conversion rate rising from 2.8 per cent to a much healthier 14 per cent.
And the defensive third is also showing signs of improvement. Spurs restricted Chelsea to seven shots and 31 per cent possession last weekend, only conceding 0.47 xG against. Since De Zerbi took post only Arsenal have a lower value xG against, which means the chances they give up are rarely ones with a high probability of an opponent scoring.
All of those facts are strategic victories for De Zerbi. With more refinement up top, in theory, Spurs should start to win games far more comfortably and in a manner that demonstrates the evolution of a team unified in approach and application.
The club signed 10 players at a cost of £320m in the summer to transform the manager’s squad options but harmony cannot be bought. De Zerbi must engender that feeling himself.
This has to be Tottenham’s genesis. De Zerbi is unlikely to get a better opportunity to prove a corner has been turned permanently. Will the three-in-a-row curse finally be broken?
Watch Spurs vs Crystal Palace live on Sky Sports Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
