Under-fire Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has the backing of club hall of famer Chris Hughton to turn things around.
De Zerbi has been unable to spark a Tottenham revival in the same way he did at the end of last season, when his arrival helped the club avoid relegation. After initially showing reluctance to join the project earlier in the year, the Italian tactician eventually agreed to a five-year deal to take charge of a dysfunctional club, but he is yet to fully prove he deserves the long-term contract.
The length of the deal is what Christophe Dugarry recently criticised, especially given Spurs’ start to the season. Tottenham failed to score in their first four games, let alone win one, and while they finally found the net last weekend, Aston Villa still had the last laugh at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
To make matters worse, there have been some damning stats circulating on social media, with one suggesting that Beyonce has had more shows than Tottenham have had home wins. Another striking statistic is that Arsenal have lost as many home games at the Emirates as Tottenham have at their home ground, with the latter stadium opening an astonishing 13 years after the Emirates was inaugurated.
Either way, De Zerbi has had no breathing room, with criticism mounting, including from Alan Shearer. More importantly, there are questions over his role, especially after the defeat to Aston Villa, which left Spurs bottom of the table.
If there has been widespread criticism and growing doubt about the Italian, Spurs Hall of Famer Chris Hughton has given him his full backing. In comments on Sky Sports, Hughton insisted that things will improve in the coming period and believes De Zerbi has the ability and quality to turn things around and help Spurs out of their misery.
Hughton said, “We’re five games into the season, and I think for some it’s disappointing, which is normal. We have to take stock; we are five games in. I think what the club have at this particular moment is, in De Zerbi, I think, a very good coach that’s thought very well of.
“And I genuinely feel that the players that have been brought in are good players. I think it’s a good level of players and of course only time will tell on each of these individuals, but I think the club have bought well. What the club have done is bought over a shorter period of time, so in perhaps other windows where this would have been spread out over a lot longer period of time.
“I think particularly because of last season, and I think the desperation of going to the last game of the season, it was a conscious effort that that’s not going to happen and bring these players in quickly. Sometimes it clicks straight away, sometimes it takes time. I’m very confident that there will be a turnaround, but I think you also understand, it’s emotions, supporters want to see things now. But I’m very confident that things will improve.”
Tottenham fans will certainly hope what Hughton said proves to be true as the club move forward, and there is a belief that the club are also ready to back their under-fire 2026 arrival. There is certainly pressure to win immediately as a team, but De Zerbi appears calm about his situation.
As Hughton said, it is still early days, but another run of poor results could potentially make the situation untenable for De Zerbi. Wins are essential, as Tottenham will return after the international break and resume their domestic campaign with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
