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The Tottenham Hotspur attack has been a real issue all season long, but it really started to bottom out the longer Thomas Frank coached. As the Spurs players were further removed from the swashbuckling style that Ange Postecoglou had instilled in them, the playing style became more cowardly and lethargic with losses piling up.

Tottenham are desperately hoping that Roberto De Zerbi can turn them around and win some games. Beyond getting the most out of the young stars like Mathys Tel, the new Italian manager must also get the most out of some veteran players who have been real disppointments this season.

None of the trio of experienced strikers Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, nor Randal Kolo Muani have impressed this season. But Kolo Muani, signed on deadline day from PSG on loan, has been especially disappointing in recent months, nearly getting himself tossed out back to Paris with a terminated loan in January until Spurs simply realized they could not afford to bleed any talent.

Randal Kolo Muani is having a bad year

Speaking of Kolo Muani at the pre game press conference before Tottenham vs. Sunderland, Roberto De Zerbi said that the former Ligue 1 flop is a "good player" but admitted that he has not been playing well this season.

The new Spurs manager said, via Lilywhite Rose, “Kolo Muani I know is not playing a good season but he is a good player”.

Randal Kolo Muani was honestly a dreadful for PSG and a massive flop in the same league that Roberto De Zerbi coached in last, but he was decent for Nantes in the French top flight many years ago before shining at Eintracht Frankfurt to earn that ticket to Paris. Kolo Muani was even very good for Juventus on loan the previous season, with Spurs and Fabio Paratici signing him on loan from under the Bianconeri's noses.

There is indeed a good player buried somwhere in Kolo Muani, but he really has to start trying for Spurs in order for us all to see it. Now, Tottenham Hotspur being a step away from relegation may not be conducive to Kolo Muani caring, but perhaps the fiery De Zerbi can extract something out of a player he has not been afraid to admit is basically stinking up the joint in his first public comments of the striker. De Zerbi was respectful about it, but it is good to hear some straight up honesty from the coach on RKM.

The Roberto De Zerbi is about to begin for Tottenham Hotspur, and while many fans wanted Mauricio Pochettino and are upset about the new manager's track record at Marseille, there is no doubt that, overall, you can sense an optimism around the air at the club despite the valid concerns.

De Zerbi is a much stronger manager tactically than either Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor, and he brings the same kind of boldness and optimism that Ange Postecoglou did, which is the kind of mentality that Tottenham fans want to see at the club above all else.

The fans will be especially to see how De Zerbi can unlock the young stars on the team, especially Archie Gray and Mathys Tel, who have both been exceptional in recent weeks despite the club being dreadful - showing improvement even with the modest upgrade from Frank to Tudor.

Roberto De Zerbi tried to sign Mathys Tel before

Well, Roberto De Zerbi appears to be just as keen on working with Tel as the Spurs faithful are to see the Frenchman getting coached by someone who isn't afraid of scoring goals. In fact, De Zerbi revealed to the press at the conference before the game against Sunderland this weekend that he wanted Tel at Marseille all along, via Lilywhite Rose.

Before joining Bayern Munich - and then Tottenham Hotspur - Mathys Tel was one of the most talented young forward prospects in French football while at Rennes, a club that have produced some real hidden gems over the last 10 years.

Tel never made it to Marseille, but now De Zerbi gets to work with the explosive left winger. Tel is his only real option on that flanks, unless if RDZ were to make the ill advised decision to stick veteran striker Randal Kolo Muani over there. But he wouldn't, because, well, now we know he is a fan of Tel.

The fact that De Zerbi wanted Tel in Ligue 1 is huge, and it all but confirms that the Italian manager will have big things planned for a real talent - the most talented forward at the club with Mohammed Kudus out injured, honestly - who was being held back to an embarrassing degree by predecessor Thomas Frank.

Tottenham fans are excited to see De Zerbi be the opposite of what Frank was for this offense, and a lot of that begins with making full use of a player like Tel.

Young Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky had one of the worst games a player can have, almost single handedly costing Spurs their Champions League knockout tie against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.

Kinsky slipped and slid all over the pitch, making a few costly errors to hand goals directly to Atleti before being subbed off before 30 minutes even finished. But the last image of the match was the clumsy Igor Tudor not even acknowledging Kinsky in a shattering moment.

The Czech international was set up to fail. He had not played in months, completley discarded by the buffoonery of failed Spurs hire Thomas Frank. With Guglielmo Vicario playing horrendously and suffering through a hernia, Spurs finally turned to Kinsky, but instead of easing him in, Tudor started him in a big Champions League knockout match against a tough team in a stadium that has been very suspiciously slippery to opposing teams this season.

Roberto De Zerbi is behind Antonin Kinsky

Although Kinsky has not started since, with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League relegation zone after rivals West Ham United destroyed Wolves 4-0, the young man will be between the sticks on Sunday against overperformers Sunderland as Vicario is not yet recovered from a much needed hernia surgery.

The fans are behind Kinsky and rooting for him to succeed, but there has to be some trepidation in the air after his last outing. But the new manager Roberto De Zerbi had the perfect comforting words for his shot stopper at the press conference before the Sunderland game.

De Zerbi said, via Alasdair Gold of Football.London, "I didn't speak yet with him because I think he doesn't need to speak too much. I have confidence. He has to be strong, but he is strong enough to show what he can do. Not more, not less. I think his qualities are enough to play at Tottenham. The other players believe in him. He has to stay calm and confident. He is playing at Tottenham, so he has to be stronger than the mistakes, and to move on."

That is very beautifully said by De Zerbi. He is attempting to unburden the pressure on Antonin Kinsky, liberating the goalkeeper of a back drop that could doom him to fail again. And the part about RDZ bringing up his teammates believing in him is a wonderful touch, because the unity of being backed and being part of something bigger than himself can carry Kinksy far on Sunday. Spurs need him.

Tottenham Hotspur have everything to play for in the final seven games of the 2025/26 Premier League season, because after West Ham United made short work of the worst team in the league, Wolves, by winning 4-0, the Lilywhites are officially in 18th place and in the relegation zone for the first time this campaign.

Spurs have to win. Sunderland are a tough team defensively and have outperformed expectations in their return to the English top flight after making a number of shrewd budget summer signings, but Tottenham have more quality and should be beating them even with all the injuries.

Of course, part of the optimism comes from a tactical upgrade in the manager's seat after Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham were able to successfully convince risky hot head Roberto De Zerbi to join them on a massive contract.

Antonin Kinsky will be in goal

De Zerbi inherits a depleted team, and right when he took the job, he learned that he won't even be getting his best player, winger Mohammed Kudus, back for either this weekend battle with Sunderland - or for the rest of the 2025/26 season.

Tottenham Hotspur will also miss two more key players against the Black Cats, as De Zerbi revealed to reporters at the press conference before the game. Guglielmo Vicario seemed like he could play after getting hernia surgery done, but he will not, in fact, make it in time for the first matchup after the March international break. Meanwhile, another Serie A grad, Rodrigo Bentancur, will still not be back yet.

Roberto De Zerbi said of Bentancur and Vicario's injuries, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Vicario is not ready for this game. I hope he can come back next week but I don't know yet. Bentancur is working with us but not completely but we have enough to fight, to play, to make points."

Rodrigo Bentancur still being out injured in the midfield with that hamstring tear of his is not a big deal for Tottenham. They have been better without him in the starting lineup, and while he is a decent depth guy, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray are superior players in the middle of the park for De Zerbi to work with.

The real headliner is Guglielmo Vicario still being out. He has been terrible this season, and while young Antonin Kinsky's errors against Atletico Madrid stick out, Vic in his previous injured state was just as bad. But a healthy Vicario is a good keeper, and if Kinsky can't get it together against Sunderland, people will point to his absence as a huge blow for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur have a number of top talents whom Roberto De Zerbi should be excited to work with as the new manager, especially consdering Spurs are in dire straits and literally now sitting in the Premier League's relegation zone following rivals West Ham United dunking on Wolves 4-0.

Mathys Tel, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall are all future superstars. Xavi Simons may already be one with better coaching. Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, and Kevin Danso are all, in theory, very good footballers as well. Maybe a healthy Guglielmo Vicario is, too.

But there are also a number of players on Tottenham who look like disasters. One player who has drawn a lot of ire from the supporters in recent months is winter signing Conor Gallagher, for whom Spurs both overpaid in wages and transfer fee only to watch completely flounder in the middle of the park.

Roberto De Zerbi has always liked Conor Gallagher

Despite Gallagher's obvious issues and lack of upside, Roberto De Zerbi is, surprisingly, a big fan of his, even though most Spurs supporters would have expected RDZ to want absolutely nothing to do with him.

At the press conference before the match between Tottenham and Sunderland in the Premier League, De Zerbi spoke very highly of Conor Gallagher and stated that while the center midfielder was playing at Chelsea, the former Brighton manager loved him as a player.

Roberto De Zerbi said of Gallagher, via Lilywhite Rose, "I want to see again the same Gallagher I loved in Chelsea time. And I think I am lucky because I have a big confidence in my players and their qualities."

Gallagher was actually a great player in the Premier League for mid table Crystal Palace a few years ago, and he did have his moments for Chelsea, though they did rightfully dump him off due to his limitations at an elite club.

Spurs need to be careful not to overrate him, but maybe De Zerbi can calculate the best usage for the British Bulldog. Gallagher is a great athlete who can win the ball and drive it forward, even though he has only shown that quality about once in a Tottenham kit all half season long.

De Zerbi taking a liking to Gallagher is a bit surprising, but it is less surprising when you factor in that he's talking about the times when he was an effective Premier League player and not a current walking disaster for Atletico Madrid and Spurs. Now let's see if he can get anything out of him.

The Roberto De Zerbi era has officially dawned on Tottenham Hotspur, and if the former Brighton and Marseille manager is indeed in it for the long haul at the N17, then the fans are especially intrigued to see how he makes use of the many top young talents at the club.

Players like Mathys Tel, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall are just dying to break out into true superstardom. But there are also young players at Spurs who are already stars in world football, and the one who comes to mind the most is attacking midfielder Xavi Simons.

In all honesty, Simons has been a bit disappointing in his first season since making an approximately 60 million euro move from Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig to Spurs, but there have been flashes of world class quality from the former Barcelona academy product that made him such a stud for both PSV and Leipzig before his time in the Premier League.

Roberto De Zerbi is a fan of Xavi Simons

At the press conference before Sunday's crucial matchup with Sunderland in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi spoke highly of Xavi Simons, praising the Dutch international as a "big talent", via Lilywhite Rose.

Yes, it is an obvious statement for De Zerbi to make, and it would maybe be more headline worthy if RDZ said anything else about his 22 year old attacking midfield gem. But it is nonetheless something for Tottenham fans to get excited about, because De Zerbi gassing up and being happy to work with Simons is a reminder of how much further the Dutchman can go with the new coach.

Simons looked so frustrated under the cowardly football under Thomas Frank, and, honestly, the coaching of Igor Tudor was only marginally better by comparison, simply because Frank was so hopelessly inept.

Meanwhile, Roberto De Zerbi is a coach with the same philosophy and mentality of Ange Postecoglou in terms of always wanting to go all out and win, and yet he has the actual tactical acumen to potentially execute for a club like Tottenham.

The result could be their athletic starting No. 10 truly busting out and playing some great football, just like he did in the Dutch and German top flights, as well as in the Europa League and Champions League. And even in the Champions League this season when even Frank was trying to score, Simosn showed that quality. He could be eating good soon.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi steps into his new job with a tall task to tackle. Spurs are now officially in the Premier League relegation zone after watching London rivals West Ham United beat on the 20th placed team, Wolves, 4-0 on Friday Night Football. And in their last game, Spurs were the ones who got trounced in a head to head relegation fight, falling 3-0 to lowly Nottingham Forest.

So De Zerbi clearly has his work cut out for him, and with Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski not coming back to a right side that also lost Wilson Odobert an ACL tear, finding attacking production is largely going to fall on the purported master tactician's plate.

But there is more to coaching than tactics, and Tottenham fans want to see De Zerbi prove that he is the right man - as a person - for the job. Even though Thomas Frank was a nice guy, Tottenham fans could not stand the way he spoke about the team and then had the team play - with cowardice and no ambition, literally telling people to expect to lose a lot of games and then going out to do precisely that.

Roberto De Zerbi wants to win it all

De Zerbi, though? He wants to bring Tottenham Hotspur trophies. The manager said of his ambitions at Spurs, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "In my plan for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I'm not speaking about the titles because it's not the right moment now, but to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level."

Now, Roberto De Zerbi is going to have to do more than just talk, of course. From a character perspective, he needs to show that what he did at Marseille, especially the stuff he did with Mason Greenwood, is not who he is today. But also from a footballing perspective, he needs to actually bring those results and win with Tottenham before anyone can anoint him or lavish him with praise.

At the same time, Tottenham fans can't help but find it refresing to hear a manager speak about their beloved club in terms like these again. Ange Postecoglou wasn't a great coach, but he brought optimism and ambition. De Zerbi is already talking about winning the Premier League even in these dire times, and that's at least a glimmer of hope - even just the fact that a Spurs coach is saying something like that out loud.

It was a big signing for Tottenham Hotspur when they secured Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United last summer. Kudus was the first player to join the club from rivals West Ham since Scott Parker made the move back in 2011.

His time at Spurs started brightly as he got two assists in a 3-0 win over Burnley in the first Premier League game of the season. While his output wasn't outstanding during the first half of the season, he carried a dreary team led by Thomas Frank.

Kudus has been out of action since January after sustaining a quad injury in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland. There was optimism that he could soon return to action. However, he is now set for an extended period on Spurs' sidelines.

We are in for a big end of the campaign for Tottenham as they look to avoid relegation. They will need someone to step up in his position on the right wing. Unfortunately, Wilson Odobert, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski are all injured, as they would have been able to do a job in Kudus's absence. Here are three players who could fill Kudus's boots.

Three players who could replace the injured Mohammed Kudus?

Randal Kolo Muani is naturally a center-forward, but he can play on either wing. He arrived at Spurs with a big reputation, having played for France, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus. However, he has failed to make a big impact at Tottenham since arriving last summer.

In total, Kolo Muani has scored just five goals with four assists in 34 games for Spurs this season. He has recently been used more as a substitute. However, with Spurs now with a new manager in Roberto De Zerbi, Kolo Muani could be in for more of a key role.

Xavi Simons can also play on either wing, but is more of an attacking midfielder. He also arrived at Spurs with big expectations, having also played for PSG, and starred in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig.

However, his record for Spurs is also not great. He has scored just four goals with five assists for Tottenham in 38 games. A highlight for him recently was a brace against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. However, Spurs lost that tie 8-4 on aggregate.

Simons has not had a goal or an assist in the Premier League since an assist against Manchester City eight games ago. A switch to the wing could be what is needed to get the best out of the attacking midfielder.

All of these players have one thing in common: they arrived at Tottenham from big clubs but have failed to adapt. Mathys Tel joined Spurs from Bayern Munich initially on loan at the end of last season. He helped the club win the Europa League, but he was left on the bench in the final as Spurs defeated Manchester United.

Tel scored two goals with two assists in 13 Premier League games, which was enough for Spurs to sign him permanently. However, this season, he has scored just three goals, with zero assists in 24 league games.

He is also naturally a center-forward, but can also play on either wing. Tottenham will need a hero in their final seven games of the Premier League season to ensure that they do not finish in the bottom three and suffer a devastating relegation to the Championship. It would be unprecedented to see Spurs go down, and they may need an unlikely hero from now until the end of the season.

Right now, the Tottenham Hotspur job is the most pressurized in world football, somehow making the situation at Real Madrid look like a joke by comparison. New manager Roberto De Zerbi steps into a situation in which Spurs are at real risk of relegation, and, now, they are officially in the relegation zone before Sunday's must win matchup against newcomers Sunderland.

That's because Spurs London rivals West Ham United just trounced Wolves 4-0 on Friday night in Premier League action, moving out of 18th place and two points ahead of Spurs, who entered the Matchday just one point ahead of the Hammers.

West Ham took full advantage of facing the worst team in the Premier League, picking them apart in a display that should have Tottenham very worried. Because when was the last time Spurs scored four goals or won a game 4-0? When was their last clean sheet? Their last win even?

Tottenham are in the relegation zone

Roberto De Zerbi is committed to Tottenham Hotspur even if they are relegated from the English top flight, so the issue is not his own job security - though Spurs fans may not trust him bolting the club after the events of his Marseille and Brighton tenures.

But the pressure comes from relegation. If Spurs were to be relegated, the consequences would be devastating. We are talking about working class human beings who live in North London losing their jobs due to budget cuts. And then, of course, we are talking about young rising stars and established players - the former hurting much more than the latter - leaving the club to make EFL Championship wage cuts. They would likely have to leave at discounted rates.

West Ham United have just put Tottenham under the kibosh. Well, Spurs were already under a fair bit of pressure for De Zerbi to walk into straight away, which is why Spurs had to do some convincing to bring in the Italian manager by throwing around some serious dollar signs in the contract, but now the pressure is titanic with Tottenham officially moving into the relegation zone.

And after West Ham added a big goal differential boost, Spurs are under even more pressure. Only by winning this weekend against a stingy Sunderland defense - and without Mohammed Kudus, mind you - can Spurs get out of the relegation zone. A draw is not enough. Now it is your move, Mr. De Zerbi.

If Tottenham Hotspur are relegated in six weeks times, it will largely be due to their home form. Last time out, three weeks ago now, the Lilywhites were crushed 3-0 by relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, suffering a fourth home league defeat in a row. This means, across an elongated period, Spurs have beaten fewer Premier League teams at home than a certain side not even based in England.

This season, Tottenham have won only two of 16 Premier League home games, defeating Burnley on the opening day and Brentford in December. This means Spurs have claimed just four victories from 30 home league games since 3 November 2024, a period of 523 days, having enjoyed victories over Manchester United and Southampton during the second half of last season. Of these 30 games, 19 have produced defeats.

This means, including the first leg EFL Cup victory over Liverpool, Spurs have won just five home matches against Premier League opposition since 1 January 2025. As noted by Colin Millar of the Athletic, this is one fewer than Paris Saint-Germain. During this timeframe, les Rouge-et-Bleu have had eight home matches against English opposition and collected six wins, beating Manchester City, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Tottenham themselves, Chelsea and now Liverpool on Wednesday night.

This is obviously a statistical quirk, but also a damning indictment on just how miserable the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been for home fans for a prolonged period. So, will this continue and see Spurs become an EFL Championship club?

Tottenham Hotspur's remaining Premier League fixtures

Sunday 12 April: Sunderland - Stadium of Light. Kick off 2pm.

Saturday 18 April: Brighton & Hove Albion - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kick off 5:30pm.

Saturday 25 April. Wolverhampton Wanderers - Molineux. Kick off 3pm.

Sunday 3 May. Aston Villa - Villa Park. Kick off 7pm.

Monday 11 May. Leeds United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kick off 8pm.

Sunday 17 May. Chelsea - Stamford Bridge. Kick off TBC.

Sunday 24 May. Everton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kick off 4pm.

Having been appointed during the international break, following the departure of Igor Tudor, new manager Roberto De Zerbi will take charge of Spurs for the very first time on Sunday. He commences with a tricky trip to Wearside, given that Sunderland have only been beaten three times at the Stadium of Light all season. By the time that kicks off, if West Ham manage to beat Wolves on Friday night, Spurs would do so in the bottom three, cranking up the pressure further.

Their other away games are at Wolves, Aston Villa and Chelsea, making it alarming that they cannot rely on good home form. De Zerbi's former side Brighton will travel to N17 this time next week, with relegation rivals Leeds and Europe-chasing Everton doing so in May.