Some situations don’t just need a tactical tweak.
They need something deeper.
Because right now, Tottenham don’t look like a team that believes in itself.
Three managers in a season, sitting in the relegation zone with six games to go.
Roberto De Zerbi has walked into one of the most daunting jobs in English football.
De Zerbi takes bold first step as Tottenham fight to avoid unthinkable relegation
According to The Telegraph, De Zerbi organised a team-bonding dinner for his players and staff at Bacchanalia, a high-end Greek and Mediterranean restaurant in Mayfair, on Wednesday evening.
Main courses at the venue range from £40 to £130.
The idea was straightforward.
Ease the pressure that has been suffocating this squad, encouraging his players to talk more heading into the final stretch of the season.
He organised the outing himself.
It’s a small detail, but it says a lot about how he sees the problem.
This isn’t purely a tactical issue; it’s a psychological one.
De Zerbi’s first game in charge ended in a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
But sources inside the Spurs camp have suggested he’s already made a more positive first impression with his players than his predecessor managed.
That matters in a dressing room that has been through Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor, and now a third manager all in the same season.
Brighton at home on Saturday is first; De Zerbi’s former club, which adds its own layer of narrative to an already dramatic week.
Spurs are two points behind West Ham in 17th, and the club hasn’t been relegated since 1977; nearly fifty years without dropping out of the top flight.
That streak, and the weight of history that comes with it, is hanging over everything right now.
By the time that final fixture against Everton arrives, De Zerbi will know whether his methods have worked.
And whether he’ll be managing a Premier League club or not next season.
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