'Delusional' De Zerbi is stealing a living: Pundits furious with Tottenham boss

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Tom Weber | Writer

Tottenham head coach Roberto de Zerbi is increasingly coming under fire amid the club's poor start to the season.

Following back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, the Italian was supposed to revolutionise Tottenham. Handed one of the most lucrative contracts in football and a €370 million war chest, De Zerbi has been heavily backed by the club hierarchy.

And yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Spurs are once again in 17th, albeit we are only four games into the new season. There has been some improvement, but things are still pretty dire in North London.

Spurs have yet to score a goal this term, and De Zerbi has banished last season's top scorer, Richarlison, from the squad after he failed to secure a transfer away, although there are reports that a move to Dubai could provide a late escape route.

De Zerbi's much-lauded footballing approach has yet to bear fruit at Tottenham. It seems that, despite spending a fortune this summer, he still lacks the players - particularly in midfield - to be able to properly execute his ideas.

"Delusional" De Zerbi blasted

Of course, this may come with time, and Tottenham are only slowly getting key players back from injury. But with pressure mounting, he may not be afforded that time. Some pundits certainly have already seen enough.

Former France striker Christophe Dugarry, who followed De Zerbi's work up close during his ultimately unsuccessful spell at Marseille, is surprised that the manager got the Tottenham job in the first place, considering his lack of tangible success throughout his career.

"He signed for five years, the heist he pulls off, without the balaclava, it’s insane," he thundered on RMC. "And now they pay you every week in England. What he’s doing is magnificent. He’s proven so much in football, he’s incredible.

"I've never understood what this man’s true level is. I’m told he did well at Brighton, Sassuolo and I don’t remember where else. For me, he’s not an absolute benchmark for coaching big clubs, he has had his chance. For now, he’s struggling to seize it.

Dugarry also took exception with some of De Zerbi's recent comments. "I can’t even talk about him as a coach, but when you’re still capable of making statements like that, post-match, pre-match. During the match, I saw him, he went after Mathys Tel on the pitch.

"The statements he made about this guy - he’s completely out of it. It’s astounding to have so little lucidity about what you say. Isn’t there anyone around him who’s going to tell him, 'just shut up?' He’s completely delusional."

After back-to-back 0-0 draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton, De Zerbi quipped that keeping successive clean sheets would see him celebrated in Serie A. This lighthearted comment didn't go down well in his native Italy.

Serie A has become an increasingly open league in recent years and is starting to shed the image of being all about stodgy defensive football. It could be argued that it has become a more exciting and entertaining competition than the Premier League.

Il Messaggero clapped back at De Zerbi: "Italy is getting closer to Europe. And perhaps soon we won’t be mocked anymore by De Zerbi, who is in serious trouble at Tottenham, but the other day, to get out of trouble, he mocked us.

"'I’ve kept two clean sheets in a row: in Italy they’d tell me I’m the best.' The English in the room burst into laughter. Mr De Zerbi should spare us the sarcasm about his country, which has fallen behind but has a glorious history and has won four World Cups to England’s one.

"At least he, in an Italian way, should produce more results and fewer jokes. If he can do it."

Far from the exciting up-and-coming coach he was at Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Brighton, De Zerbi is increasingly finding himself in the firing line. How much longer can he keep dodging bullets?

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