How new-look Spurs are shaping up under De Zerbi

Roberto de Zerbi's first task on arriving at Tottenham in March was to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

With that mission accomplished, he has had time and money over the summer to start creating a new-look Spurs to aim higher.

So how might he tackle the challenge?

When De Zerbi first arrived in the Premier League at Brighton in September 2022, he introduced new tactical concepts that were admired by some of the league's best.

At the time, Pep Guardiola called him "one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years".

De Zerbi's ideas were copied - and he was primarily influential around how he coached build-up play.

The sight of the centre-backs standing tall, studs on the ball, waiting for the opposition forwards to become impatient before closing them down felt unnatural but it was purposeful.

This pressure was the cue for ball-playing centre-backs to combine with nearby holding midfielders, using slick one-touch passing combinations before punching daring passes to their forwards.

The speed at which a De Zerbi side could, and still can, turn slow meticulous possession in their own half into one-against-one situations for the attackers is a hallmark of his approach.

But the game has changed - and with it, De Zerbi has sought to evolve.

How De Zerbi has tweaked his tactics in pre-season

In pre-season, one of the most common situations Spurs have faced has been around the middle of the pitch with the ball at the feet of their centre-backs.

Here, De Zerbi's side will look to do some of the same things of old - standing on the ball, waiting for pressure, looking to play through the centre of the pitch, aiming to find the attackers high up the field in space.

Given how effective De Zerbi's approach was in 2022, coaches have since made a conscious effort to nullify those same tactics.

Knowing De Zerbi's sides aim to play vertically through the middle of the pitch, the first thing teams have looked to do is block that path.

Opposing teams can set up with a very narrow defensive shape, making it hard for Spurs' centre-backs to find the holding midfielders. So De Zerbi has had to come up with new solutions - either by pulling the central players out of position, or by progressing the ball down the flanks.

This can be illustrated with an example from Spurs' 3-0 win against Hoffenheim in pre-season.

Hoffenheim set up in a 4-4-2 defensive mid-block. What stands out is how narrow this shape was. Both the right and left midfielders almost looked like third and fourth central midfielders. To protect the centre of the pitch further, the two strikers stood in front of Spurs' midfield two.

Spurs' shape on the ball here looked like a 4-2-4 - the most common shape they use in these situations.

By passing between the central defenders, Spurs were able to shift Hoffenheim's shape left to right, even if the distances they move were not the greatest.

The wide positions of Spurs' full-backs pose a difficult question to the opposition's wide midfielders too. They stand free and unmarked, able to receive the ball under little pressure - but De Zerbi looks to use them as decoys rather than making this easier pass.

Their position often pulls the wide midfielders away from their more central position, opening up space for the centre-backs to pass the ball directly into the centre-forwards dropping deep.

When the pass finds one of these forwards, they have then been able to play first-time balls into the wide players in space.

The wingers, often in one-against-one situations, are encouraged to play with directness and pace before shooting, or more commonly cutting the ball back for the centre-forwards to finish moves.

This is a pattern of play to look out for this season.

How De Zerbi has approached back fives

Getafe similarly took a very narrow approach defensively against Spurs, in a 5-4-1 shape.

One way Spurs opened up space in the middle of the pitch was by having the midfield two move towards the centre-back with the ball.

This dragged the opposition's midfield across, at which point Spurs again looked to find the centre-back on the other side of the pitch quickly.

With the opposition slower to shuffle back across, the direct pass to the forward dropping deep was then played - the same pattern but executed slightly differently against a different formation.

If getting through the middle of the pitch is proving difficult, one of the midfielders will drop deep, forming a line of three alongside the two central defenders.