'Every single session has to be like a game': De Zerbi's plan to rebuild Spurs

LONDON - Roberto De Zerbi helped Tottenham Hotspur escape relegation last season, but after a summer overhaul costing more than £300 million (S$514 million), the Italian is now trying to turn a heavily changed squad into a team capable of sustaining its standards over an entire campaign.

Spurs have taken one point from their opening three English Premier League games and have yet to score, with unbeaten Everton next at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sept 13, 12.30am Singapore time.

It was against the same opponent that Spurs secured their top-flight status with a 1-0 win on the final day of last season, after De Zerbi arrived with seven matches remaining.

This season, the 47-year-old has had a pre-season and transfer window to begin shaping the side around his methods.

De Zerbi told AsiaOne at Tottenham's training ground in Enfield on Sept 10 that while a manager can organise and develop players, getting results ultimately requires them to function as a team. Building the relationships and connections needed on and off the pitch takes time.

Spurs brought in Sandro Tonali, Savio (formerly known as Savinho), Omar Marmoush, Marcos Senesi, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke during the summer.

Accustomed to competing at the other end of the table, they have joined players who went through last season's relegation fight.

Dominic Solanke said last season's struggles helped build mental strength and taught the players to adapt more quickly to difficult situations.

Marmoush, who arrived from Manchester City, rejected the suggestion that a winning mentality needed to be brought into the dressing room, saying Spurs already possess one.

Mentality was also a major part of De Zerbi's work when he arrived during last season's relegation battle. He said he focused less on what happened on the pitch and more on the mentality, spirit and connections between the players.

"The most important part in football, but not just in football, is the relationship, the connection, the belief, the behaviour, the spirit," he said.

De Zerbi has focused on making the standards he demands part of the players' daily routine.

"Every single [training] session has to be like a game," he said.

He wants giving their best in training to become habitual, rather than something his players have to find extra motivation for when matchday arrives.

De Zerbi traces that work ethic to his upbringing in Brescia, northern Italy.

"In the morning, you wake up and you have to work from Monday until Friday. You have to push," he said.

The approach has already caught the attention of summer arrival Martin Dubravka.

The 37-year-old goalkeeper joked that he does not know "where he sleeps", referring to the amount of time De Zerbi spends analysing the team.

Dubravka added that seeing the manager give 100 per cent each day provides energy to the players during training and meetings.

Time has also been spent bringing the new-look squad closer away from the pitch.

Dubravka said pre-season allowed the players to get to know one another better, while several of the new arrivals are still adapting to a different tactical system.

That adjustment has coincided with Tottenham's difficult start.

They lost their opening two league matches against Brentford and Newcastle United before collecting their first point in a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest.

The slow start, particularly after the scale of the summer spending, has brought early scrutiny.

De Zerbi said pressure is part of operating at the highest level.

"The pressure is not bad," he said. "You have to accept and manage the pressure, or you have to change jobs."

There has been little sense of panic from the players, who have instead spoken about improving from week to week while learning De Zerbi's methods.

He has also acknowledged that victories could help the process move faster.

When Spurs beat Everton in May, that one victory completed De Zerbi's immediate task of keeping the club in the Premier League.

Four months on, his work is no longer about finding one result, but turning a summer's worth of new players into a team that can sustain its standards across the season.

AsiaOne's trip was hosted by AIA Singapore.

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shafiq.apandi@asiaone.com

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