Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi has spent the summer refining his tactical approach, building on his initial success in avoiding Premier League relegation after arriving in March. His pre-season strategies show an evolution from the influential build-up play he introduced at Brighton in 2022.
Opposing teams have increasingly sought to nullify De Zerbi's vertical play through the middle. In response, Spurs have been seen to adapt, either by pulling central players out of position or by progressing the ball down the flanks. This was evident in their 3-0 pre-season victory against Hoffenheim, where Spurs' 4-2-4 shape on the ball aimed to shift the narrow opposition defence.
De Zerbi's tactics also involve using full-backs as decoys to create space for centre-forwards dropping deep, who then play first-time passes to wingers in one-on-one situations. New signings such as technical centre-backs, central midfielders like Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Bergvall, and ball-carrying players like Sandro Tonali and Destiny Udogie, align with these evolving patterns of play.