Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi explained what he likes to see from his number nines back during his Brighton days.
The Italian has been putting the Tottenham squad through the paces at Hotspur Way over the past few days, with the newcomer having around 10 days to prepare for his first game in charge against Sunderland.
Reports indicate that the Spurs players have raved about De Zerbi’s training sessions, with the former Brighton boss appearing to have made a strong early impression on the squad.
There has been debate on who will make De Zerbi’s starting lineup against Sunderland, and one senior Tottenham man will be interested in what the Italian has had to say in the past about his system.
Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi reveals what he expects of a number nine
It remains to be seen who the 46-year-old will choose to lead the line on Sunday, but one would expect Dominic Solanke to get the nod over Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani.
De Zerbi has made it clear in a previous interview during his Brighton days that a number nine in his system has to be intelligent, knowing when to attack the spaces and when he has to drop in between the lines.
He told Sky Sports back in 2024: “I love playing with different solutions depending on the different characteristics of the players, because on the pitch they’re the ones who have to play and they have to find the solutions. You can’t move the player with a [computer game] joystick.
“If we want to control the game we need the number nine to be smart, intelligent to understand when he has to play, when he has to attack the space and when he has to open the space [behind] for Mitoma for example or to open this other space [in front of the box].
“If you play for Brighton, you have to work for the players first of all. Then for sure we can’t forget our style. We can’t forget the quality of the play if we want to compete with the big teams. In this [system] there is myself. There is my history, there is my character. There is my madness, no? Everything.”
De Zerbi has already tried to sign a Spurs attacker
The new Tottenham boss has said that he believes in the quality of the Spurs squad, having watched the club’s matches closely of late.
According to journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke, De Zerbi previously tried to sign Mohammed Kudus, with the Italian said to be a fan of the Ghanaian winger.
There has been no sign of Kudus in training over recent days as the 25-year-old continues to recover from the hamstring injury he picked up in January.