​By. Umir Irfan. Football tactics correspondent. 9 April 2026. 694 Comments. Clubs at risk of relegation tend to hire pragmatic coaches.. But that is not how you would describe new Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi.. The Italian is known for his attacking style of possession-based football, and has stayed true to his footballing ideas throughout his managerial career.. Three years after starting in management in Italy’s fourth division, De Zerbi was in charge of Serie A side Palermo, where he struggled to showcase his initial potential. When he was sacked, newly promoted Benevento hired him, but relegation followed.. Despite that, De Zerbi’s reputation was boosted – and he has enjoyed much success since.. The 46-year-old’s quality is clear but his system relies on smart and technical players more than most tactical plans.. So what tactics will De Zerbi implement at Spurs, and will this relegation-threatened group of players be able to execute them?. De Zerbi’s high-risk high-reward style on the ball. Looking at De Zerbi’s Brighton and Marseille sides, you soon notice how often they repeat certain patterns of play.. When building up, the idea is to draw opponents towards defenders on the ball before using quick passing routines to find free players facing forward. They are better positioned to play the ball up the pitch quickly into the attackers.. When it works, De Zerbi’s sides turn possession in their own half into shots near the opposition’s goal within a few seconds. It’s an electrifying watch – but the level of potential attacking reward comes with great risk.. De Zerbi’s approach requires defensive players to take responsibility with the ball – delaying actions until they have forced opponents to press them.. In a recent training clip,, external he was seen coaching his new players through concepts to make his tactics easier to implement. For central defenders under no pressure, the advice was to take many touches. De Zerbi’s centre-backs often provoke opponents by placing their studs on top of the ball – a sort of psychological trick that causes a striker to leave their shape and engage.. Two central midfielders are usually in close proximity to the central defenders. The midfielders receiving passes are often tightly marked, and De Zerbi’s advice for them this week was to take one or two touches.. The ball doesn’t stay with these players long to minimise the risk of losing the ball in dangerous areas. They instead act as a wall to bounce the ball off to nearby team-mates, who have lost their marker and can play forward under less pressure.. How De Zerbi’s style compares to his predecessors. De Zerbi echoed the sentiments of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta when he spoke to his team this week – highlighting the abundance of man-to-man defensive schemes in the Premier League.. His teams, like the rest of the league, will face tight pressure across the pitch and – through these choreographed passing routin