Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi isn’t having a great time in London. This has led to him being talked about quite a bit in Italy.
Earlier this week, the manager’s sarcastic comments about Serie A weren’t taken kindly by the Italian press. Il Messaggero had an article which mocked him back and challenged him to at least win some games.
Criticism also arrived from France, as Tottenham then lost 3-1 to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
They are yet to score in the league and have a difficult run of fixtures coming up. This is causing further criticism in Italy. De Zerbi appears to have annoyed a whole group of compatriots on his way to the top table of the game.
Belief manager falls into the negative trap
Journalist Daniel Riolo spoke to Radio Napoli Centrale on Thursday about Max Allegri’s spell in Naples. This also led to him talking about De Zerbi and he offered some insight into his spell at Marseille.
He shed light on his reputation in France – via TuttoNapoli: “De Zerbi had good ideas, but in Marseille he went crazy, and even at Tottenham he struggled. In Marseille they remember him as a “crazy” coach. At a certain point, he couldn’t handle the criticism.”
Roilo further sent a warning to Tottenham, noting how De Zerbi ends up going down a negative loop.
“He asked his staff to only give him negative reviews. On TV, they might have spoken highly of De Zerbi’s football, but he only saw and heard negativity.”
Pattern to avoid
It is fair to say that Marseille wasn’t the most stable club to work at for De Zerbi. They have had off-pitch chaos for years and it has continued. Tottenham somewhat are in a similar situation, although milder, making this a pattern De Zerbi will want to avoid.
While results haven’t gone Spurs’ way, there have been signs of promise. They have come up with promising moments in multiple games and arguably, they played quite well against Liverpool.
🇩🇪 Mikey Moore opens up on Tottenham and his future
💬 “Spurs are a huge part of my life”
💬 “I want to excite people and get them on their feet”
🤝 Looking forward to seeing Harry Kane
💬 “My goal is to play at the highest possible level. If I were to break into the first team…— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 16, 2026
