- 4 months ago
Tottenham have turned to Roberto De Zerbi in their fight against Premier League relegation, but what do his tactics promise for the rest of the season? From a different style of play to a new midfield duo, Jacob is here to tell us just how De Zerbi's 'Press-Baiting' tactic can save tottenham
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00:00Roberto De Zerbe's tactics are some of the most intriguing in football.
00:03In fact, he's widely regarded as one of the most important gaffers of the modern era.
00:07But, does that mean things will actually work out for him at Tottenham?
00:11I'm Jacob Horsfall, 442's resident tactician,
00:14and this is how this Roberto De Zerbe line-up could save Tottenham.
00:20To understand his system, we first got to look at the foundations of his style of playing.
00:25Press-baiting is a style of build-up,
00:27and it's something that Roberto De Zerbe really helped popularise in England.
00:30These 3v3's are moments that Marseille constantly found themselves in under Roberto De Zerbe.
00:36That's because Marseille have loads of players in the first phase,
00:38so the opposition step forward to press,
00:40which means the Marseille defenders can then play into the space beyond the press.
00:44Which, again, is core to the way De Zerbe wants to build up and play his football.
00:48Louis Dunk, during De Zerbe's first two seasons at Brighton,
00:50had completed the most pass in the Premier League out of any player.
00:54Now, Louis Dunk wasn't just pinning about passes for the sake of it,
00:57and it wasn't a coincidence that he was playing so many passes.
01:00It's because that is a core of De Zerbe's football.
01:03When we look at the Tottenham backline, De Zerbe makes perfect sense for that way of playing.
01:06Christian Romero is arguably one of the best passers through the lines out of any player in the Premier League.
01:12So, you'd imagine he'll be happy to have a lot of on-ball responsibility, just like Louis Dunk did at
01:17Brighton.
01:17However, there's someone who actually benefits more than Romero from De Zerbe's style of play,
01:22and that's Vicario.
01:24I know, I know, I can hear you through the screen.
01:27Vicario is useless with his feet, or at least he has been since Ange Postacoglu left the club,
01:31and that's the key.
01:3247% of Vicario's passes have been long passes this season.
01:36Which, yes, is pretty normal for a goalkeeper,
01:38but in the first season of Ange Postacoglu, only 21% of Vicario's passes were being sent long.
01:45And I'd argue that Ange's first season is when we really, really saw the best of Vicario.
01:50Ange's build-up wasn't identical to De Zerbe's,
01:52but the idea behind taking risks and playing quite a few short-distance passes was the same.
01:57And actually, with Ange, there's a lot of things that are similar between him and Roberto De Zerbe.
02:01Big Ange gave his full-backs utility rules.
02:04By that, I mean they would invert on the inside,
02:05but also, they would be expected to get forward and join the attack if that opportunity arose.
02:11Both Destinia Doggy and Pedro Porro both really did perform with that responsibility given to them,
02:16which is something that I think De Zerbe could give back to them.
02:19The full-back is in midfield here to pull the opposition narrow
02:22and give the winger a 1v1 against his full-back.
02:25The ball's then played to the winger, he bounced it and spins in behind to attack the open space.
02:30Then, in this instance, it's a completely different story.
02:32The full-back is all the way back here, but as soon as that wide man picks up the ball,
02:35the full-back legs it and manages to get around him, make that overlapping run,
02:39split the defender's mind and give space for the winger to cut inside and produce something.
02:44Both those things fit the profiles of Porro and Odoge.
02:48Well, Odoge if he can stay fit, but even if he can't,
02:51his best football did still come when he was given that responsibility
02:54to do all that sort of jazz as a full-back, which again, I think De Zerbe will give to
02:59him.
03:00So, we've got the back line pretty much set in stone and we will get onto the midfield very shortly,
03:04but I want to first talk about the wingers because they kind of go hand-in-hand with the full
03:08-backs.
03:08Marcy's top dribblers and top scorers see two of their wingers in the top five for both of them.
03:14In the modern game, a high-scoring winger is not mental, but a guy who shoots a lot, scores a
03:19lot,
03:19and also takes a lot of take-ons, that is pretty rare.
03:23However, in a system in which the opposition are baited out to press,
03:26and then the opposition's full-back is split between marking his opposing full-back
03:30and also the opposing winger, it does make a lot of sense.
03:35Now, a player who fits the mould of being direct, being a high-volume shooter,
03:38and also attempting a lot of take-ons is Mohamed Koudous.
03:42Unfortunately, he's back from injury pretty soon.
03:45Look at this here.
03:46Free defenders could easily have impact on Mohamed Koudous and where he goes with the ball,
03:49but instead, he takes a touch wide, which creates a 1v1 between him and the nearest defender.
03:55He then uses just pure pace to accelerate away and then attack space and deliver into the box.
04:00Koudous is just simply incredible in those 1v1 battles.
04:03Compared to every other Premier League player, he sits fifth in the league for most dribbles completed per 90 minutes.
04:09And, it's important to remember, he was playing in less favourable conditions than you expect he will do under De
04:13Zerbi.
04:13By that mean, he was usually in a 1v4, whereas De Zerbi will try to get him into more 1v1s.
04:18So, Koudous slots in on the right, but what about the left?
04:21Xavi Simmonds? Potentially even Lukas Bergvall?
04:25No, it's Matisse Tell.
04:26In attack, Pedro Poirot's crossing will be utilised.
04:29It's a must, it has to be utilised.
04:31But that means that you can't just have Solanke or Richarlison attacking the cross.
04:34You need other players, like Matisse Tell at the back stake.
04:38Matisse Tell's ability to arrive at the back post and sniff out a chance would make perfect sense
04:42to get the most of Pedro Poirot's ridiculous crossing ability.
04:46But, Tell does still have some issues.
04:48When receiving with his back to goal, his touch is often very loose, which means he's not the most secure
04:53player in possession.
04:54However, I think De Zerbi's ideas behind his attack can certainly help manage that with Tell.
04:59Because the opposition's midfield line is often dragged high to press, the opposition's full-back doesn't really want to over
05:04-engage with his winger.
05:06Which means a De Zerbi winger is often given time to take a touch, then square up his mind before
05:10having to commit to being in a duel.
05:12That's because the wingers are isolated with the full-back.
05:15A full-back then wants to protect the space between the winger and the goal.
05:17Because if he over-commits, he can often end up being in a rondo and getting passed around him.
05:22Which is why I think Tell can be really important for De Zerbi in this Tottenham team.
05:26Because he will be receiving that ball high, already facing goal.
05:29And, as we know, he is a high-volume shooter, which De Zerbi loves.
05:33He will often rotate into midfield, then take a small touch before getting a shot off early.
05:37Which, again, is something that De Zerbi will want.
05:39He wants his winger to be taking plenty of digs towards goals.
05:42So, there's the goalkeeper, there's the defence, and there's the wingers.
05:46But what about the midfields?
05:48Well, I can imagine Roberto De Zerbi is going to be a little bit frustrated with the midfield that he's
05:54got in front of him.
05:55Spurs midfield likes any sort of real progressive passer.
05:58Someone who will get on the ball, fire the ball through the lines continuously,
06:01and break the opposition's pressing structure.
06:03When baiting the press, a midfielder will have a come in and bounce the ball to the opposite side of
06:07the defence,
06:07so then the defender can play forward.
06:09Or, they'll be expected to get on the ball, receive on the half-turn, and then fire Tottenham forwards.
06:14Which, when you look at the Tottenham squad, there's not many options for De Zerbi.
06:17But when you look on a technical level at the players, Archie Gray is probably the best fit.
06:22His performance against Atletico Madrid was one of a future midfield general who has every tool in his locker.
06:28Yeah, he sees a loose ball, beats an Atleti player to the loose ball,
06:31and then starts an attack instantly with his first touch.
06:35That ability to cover ground, retain possession, but also fire your team into an attack,
06:40is so important for a manager like De Zerbi, who is attacking-minded at the forefront of his philosophy.
06:45So, I think Archie Gray is a shoo-in.
06:48But, at Brighton, we often saw a double pivot under De Zerbi.
06:52So, we need to look at who his partner is actually going to be.
06:54Clips of Roberto De Zerbi with Lucas Bergwahl have already emerged,
06:57and looking at it, we either have a match made in heaven here,
07:00where Lucas Bergwahl projected to be one of the best midfielders in the league in two years' time,
07:04or we have an environment that Bergwahl could really struggle in.
07:08The midfielders De Zerbi used at Brighton are largely cut from the same cloth.
07:12They're all-action players.
07:13Lucas Bergwahl probably falls onto the attacking side of that all-action category,
07:17which, to me, says he could be really, really important in this De Zerbi system.
07:21Bergwahl can get forward and help pin back the opposition's back line,
07:25whilst also having the brain and the IQ to latch onto those balls that are going to be played into
07:29the box,
07:30something that De Zerbi looks to utilise with his midfielders whilst he was over in France.
07:34So, that leaves us with just the number 10 and the centre-forward to work with now.
07:38The former Marseille manager will want a number 10 who can nit-play together,
07:42can play those short passes, and also can operate in multiple different positions to join in with rotations,
07:47which, for me, leaves a huge opening for Xavi Simmonds to finally come onto the main stage and grab the
07:54spotlights.
07:54Xavi Simmonds' heat map from this season shows him having that pretty heavy bias for the left-hand side.
07:59He wants to get the ball there, and then he wants to look to then play inside or play forward
08:03from that zone.
08:04Now, with De Zerbi encouraging his wingers to be pretty free in the zones they operate in,
08:09Xavi Simmonds' ability to operate across the front three could be pretty important.
08:13Space has opened up for the Marseille right-winger to come inside and drive into space here.
08:17So, the on-paper number 10 looks to go on the wide flank and try to get in behind the
08:21opposition's defence.
08:22He then has passed the ball by the right-winger, who's inverted inside,
08:26and then looks to play into the box as quick as he can with his minimal touches.
08:29Again, something that suits Xavi Simmonds.
08:32Don't get me wrong, I completely understand that Xavi Simmonds has been so underwhelming,
08:36but he was told to carry over large distances, which he's not great at,
08:39and he didn't really have the players around him to play those short, intricate passes, which is what he's best
08:44at.
08:45So, under a new manager, we could potentially see Xavi Simmonds at his very best.
08:49So, that's pretty much the whole team ticked off.
08:52We just need someone to lead the line.
08:53Someone who can link play, someone who can get into the box, someone who can be doing a little bit
08:58of everything.
08:59Now, this is the touch map of someone who can do that.
09:02Operating in his own half, in the opposition's half, doing a little bit of everything.
09:06That's Dominic Solanke's touch map.
09:09Solanke, throughout his time in the Premier League, has been vital to his team's ball progression and build-up play.
09:14Something that Roberto Dezerbi will certainly want from his number nine.
09:17However, it's not just about the end product of Dezerbi ball.
09:20It's not just how it will look eventually.
09:22It's about the here and now, and it's not going to be perfect in the here and now.
09:26As much as Dezerbi loves his intricate pass in football, don't be surprised if we see long balls and direct
09:31passes until things have really settled.
09:33Potentially, until the end of the season.
09:35Which means Solanke's job and his ability to make the ball stick is going to be even more important.
09:41So, that's my predicted XI, at least for now.
09:44But, it's pretty easy to just make a predicted XI with a few little things in about the manager.
09:49I bet a lot of Spurs fans are actually worried about how quickly that that XI will gel and work
09:53together.
09:53Brighton saw five winless games in Dezerbi's first five fixed shares at the Seagulls.
09:58However, it actually wasn't that bad.
10:01In his first game, they drew 3-3 with Liverpool and 100% of Brighton's shots came inside the Liverpool
10:06box.
10:07They weren't just having pop shots, they were creating real high-value chances.
10:10Even though they were away at Anfield in Dezerbi's first game against the Jurgen Klopp Liverpool side.
10:15I'll give you the truth, the objective truth.
10:18Roberto Dezerbi's system is intricate and it's complicated.
10:20But that doesn't mean it's nailed on to take years and years for the Tottenham players to grasp it and
10:25understand it.
10:26Just like it doesn't have to take time for you to go and like and subscribe this video.
10:29Because I'll be back again next week with more analysis.
10:31Who knows, it might be about Tottenham's historic weekend win.
10:35Let me know. Maybe it is. Maybe you're watching after that.
10:38And yeah, I'll see you next week.
10:40Let's go.
10:40It goes.
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