Tottenham fans could certainly do with some encouragement right now. With Spurs sitting 19th in the Premier League, Roberto De Zerbi has taken his players to Marbella for a training camp.
The idea is to bring the squad closer together and somehow turn their dreadful season around. And while a few days in the Spanish sunshine won’t solve everything, there’s an interesting reason for supporters to feel a little more optimistic.
De Zerbi has tried this before. In fact, he did it twice during his time at Marseille, with… some remarkable results.
His players even ended up lifting him into the air and chanting the name of the city where they’d spent their time together.
Marseille’s first retreat sparked an impressive run
Back in November 2024, De Zerbi was dealing with a difficult situation at Marseille. His side were struggling at home, tensions were growing, and he’d even publicly discussed the possibility of leaving.
His solution? Take everyone away for a few days.
The Italian organised a four-day retreat in Mallemort, around an hour from Marseille. Players shared rooms, went on walks, took part in group activities and worked on their tactical understanding.
There was an interesting detail in how De Zerbi organised things. Experienced players were paired with younger teammates, encouraging them to spend time together and get to know each other. And the results were pretty convincing to say the least.
Marseille won three of their next four Ligue 1 matches, drawing the other. They collected ten points from a possible 12, including a home victory over AS Monaco.
The players apparently enjoyed the experience so much that they organised another trip themselves. In December, captain Leonardo Balerdi arranged a visit to Copenhagen, the hometown of former Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. The coaching staff weren’t even involved.
That says quite a lot about how the original retreat had gone down. Højbjerg himself spoke positively about the experience, explaining that spending 24 hours together made the human connections within the squad stronger.
Then came Rome – ‘Roma, Roma’ celebrations
By April 2025, Marseille were struggling again. Five defeats in seven league matches had put their Champions League ambitions under pressure. De Zerbi went back to the same idea, this time taking his players to Rome.
The squad trained at Roma City FC and spent time together away from the pressure surrounding the club. There were barbecues, table tennis and shared meals alongside the football sessions.
They actually travelled to Rome twice, with the coaching staff eventually deciding the retreats had served their purpose.
Once again, Marseille responded on the pitch. They went unbeaten in their final four league matches, winning three and drawing one. Those ten points helped them finish second and secure Champions League football.
And the celebrations were something else. After Marseille’s 3-1 victory at Le Havre confirmed their Champions League qualification, the players lifted De Zerbi into the air while chanting “Roma, Roma!”. De Zerbi was delighted.
“We worked a lot on bringing the team together, and you could see that on the pitch,” he explained.
“We saw a family, and that gives you a better chance of winning. That’s also why we held that training camp in Italy.”
He also dismissed suggestions that his players had turned against him, saying there had never been a mutiny.
De Zerbi’s Rome camp: the response
Marseille · Four matches before vs four after
| Match / statistic | Before Rome 29 March–19 April 2025 |
After Rome trip began 27 April–17 May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | Reims (A) · 1–3 loss 29 March |
Brest (H) · 4–1 win 27 April |
| Match 2 | Toulouse (H) · 3–2 win 6 April |
Lille (A) · 1–1 draw 4 May |
| Match 3 | Monaco (A) · 0–3 loss 12 April |
Le Havre (A) · 3–1 win 10 May |
| Match 4 | Montpellier (H) · 5–1 win 19 April |
Rennes (H) · 4–2 win 17 May |
| The improvement | ||
| Record | 2 wins · 0 draws · 2 losses | 3 wins · 1 draw · 0 losses |
| Points | 6 / 12 | 10 / 12 |
| Points per match | 1.50 | 2.50 |
| Goals scored | 9 | 12 |
| Goals conceded | 9 | 5 |
| Goal difference | 0 | +7 |
Four extra points. No defeats.
Marseille finished second and secured Champions League qualification.
Scores show Marseille’s goals first. H = home; A = away.
The squad left for Rome on 22 April 2025.
After two stays, normal preparation resumed following the Lille match.
Both comparison periods contain two home and two away fixtures.
Sources: Ligue 1, L’Équipe, Stade Rennais and published match records.
Brighton offers another example
The Italian also used training camps during his time at Brighton. In December 2022, he took the available squad to Dubai during the World Cup break. He later described it as a “very beneficial trip”.
Brighton lost their first competitive match afterwards, going out of the League Cup to Charlton on penalties. But their next four Premier League matches brought three wins, though, including a 3-0 victory over Liverpool. They eventually finished sixth and qualified for Europe for the first time.
There was another Dubai camp in January 2024, although that one brought less convincing results. Brighton collected just four points from their following four league games.
So… of course there’s no guarantee that a few days away will suddenly transform Tottenham. There’s no harm in trying though.
Marbella can change the scenario for Tottenham
De Zerbi has already explained what he’s trying to achieve in Spain, and it sounds very close to his thinking at Marseille.
The Italian has previously used these retreats to address problems that go beyond tactics. Getting players talking, improving relationships and building trust are all part of the process.
Tottenham’s problems are serious, and climbing away from the Premier League relegation zone will take considerably more than a few days in Marbella of course. Still, De Zerbi has been in difficult situations before and found that taking everyone away together can help.
If Tottenham return from Spain with anything like Marseille’s response, supporters will be delighted.
