Roberto De Zerbi has identified the one area where Tottenham Hotspur have the most room for improvement next season.
There is no doubt that Tottenham were a much-improved side since De Zerbi took over, going from picking up just four points from 10 matches before the Italian arrived to 11 in seven under him.
While the team still did not play the kind of free-flowing and dominant football we saw under De Zerbi at Brighton, that was perhaps down to the pressure of the relegation battle.
With Spurs having secured their place in the Premier League, the Italian now has a full pre-season to work with the squad, and he has identified what area to prioritise working on.
De Zerbi wants Tottenham to improve their build-up play and their final third actions
The 46-year-old confessed that he sees huge room for improvement in Tottenham’s build-up play, admitting that he wants his side to have more control of the game.
De Zerbi also wants to see Spurs being more decisive in the final third after seeing his side score just nine goals in his seven games in charge.
When asked what he will prioritise working on in pre-season, the Tottenham boss told the club’s official website: “I want to improve the quality of the play, for sure. I want to improve the build-up because normally you are focused on the last 30 metres, but you can improve the last 30 metres if you play better in the first 70 metres.
“In build-up, we have to improve in the ball possession, we have to improve in the control of the game, for sure in the finishing, the last pass, the assists, a lot of things. We have time now to organise the improvement of the play.”
De Zerbi is looking forward to building ‘a new team’ at Spurs
The squad undoubtedly needs a lot of work if the Lilywhites want to get back to competing in the top end of the table, with two successive 17th-place finishes exposing the shortcomings at the club.
De Zerbi admitted that he is excited about building a new team and about integrating new players into the set-up.
When asked what the summer will look like for him, the former Brighton boss responded: “I’m looking forward to building a new team. I’m looking forward to calling these players, to speak with them and to introduce the new season and to speak with the new players we have to bring. We are lucky to stay here, and we have to compete in the best way we can.”
When asked if he has a message to Tottenham fans after the season, De Zerbi said: “Just to say thanks, because yesterday when we arrived with the bus it was an incredible emotion and if we stay up it’s also their credit.”