It’s perhaps a funny thing to say, given he’s already had seven games in charge, but does next weekend’s Saturday evening clash between Tottenham and Brentford represent the true start of the Roberto De Zerbi era?
When the Italian took charge on the final day of March, they looked to only be heading one way. They were without a league win in 2026 and still reeling from a desperate 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest. That left them 17th and teetering on the edge of the drop zone, with West Ham just a point behind. With just seven games left, the mission was simple: just survive, whatever it takes, let the fancy stuff come later.
Implementing his ways in such a short period of time, with so much on the line, was always going to be difficult for De Zerbi. Now, though, things are different. With a whole pre-season behind him and new faces, it feels as if Tottenham Hotspur can embrace the Italian’s ways. So, how do De Zerbi sides usually start their first seasons under him?
Roberto De Zerbi made big moves at Marseille
In 2023/24, Marseille finished 8th in Ligue 1. They went through four different coaches: Marcelino, Jacques Abardonado, Gennaro Gattuso and Jean-Louis Gasset. That 8th-placed finish meant they missed out on European football for the first time since 2019. They turned to De Zerbi to reverse their fortunes, with the Italian appointed in late June.
They had 12 new signings by the time the window had closed – 10 coming before the season kicked off. That included the likes of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg on loan from Spurs, and Elye Wahi from Lens in a big-money move (€25 million).
They started the season superbly, winning four of their first five games. That included a thumping opening day victory away to Brest, winning 5-1. A first defeat came away at Strasbourg, with eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain beating them 3-0 a few games later. Their overall record for those first 10 games was as follows:
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 12 | +11 | 20 |
That saw Marseille second after 10 games, trailing PSG by six points. Those ended up being the top two standings come the end of the season, with De Zerbi returning Marseille to European football.
A slower start with Brighton for De Zerbi?
Brighton is a trickier one to read into, given he took charge in mid-September after Graham Potter left for Chelsea. Whereas, the sample size and situation at Tottenham wasn’t really enough to have implemented his way of playing, by the time his second season at Brighton would have rolled around, there is no doubt that he would have had a squad well equipped for playing De Zerbi ball.
It’s also true, given the Brighton model, there would have been an element of crossover between the way Potter plays football and the approach De Zerbi likes to take. It was an unusual season, too, given there was a mid-season pause so the 2022 FIFA World Cup to take place in Qatar.
After taking charge from Potter, De Zerbi failed to win any of his first five games in charge – drawing 3-3 against Liverpool in his first, before losing 1-0 to Tottenham, 2-0 at Brentford, picking up a 0-0 draw against Forest, and then losing 3-1 at Manchester City. However, factoring in that mid-season break, when Brighton returned, their record for the next 10 games was as follows:
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 18 |
And, for the sake of curiosity, Brighton started the 2023/24 season on fire with four wins from their first five games – including consecutive 4-1 wins to open the season, which left them first, as well as a 3-1 win at Old Trafford over Manchester United. They were 7th, with 17 points on the board after 10 games.
Good news for Tottenham – Fast starts are a trend under Roberto De Zerbi
While De Zerbi’s time in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk was ultimately short-lived, the trend of being a fast starter continues. The Italian was appointed in May, meaning he had plenty of time to get to work on getting the squad where he wanted it by the time the season got underway in July. Shakhtar won seven of their first 10 games, losing just once, drawing twice.
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 4 | +19 | 23 |
Even with Sassuolo, De Zerbi has a more than solid start, guiding them inside the top 10 after his first 10 matches in charge. Their campaign started with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan, with the only defeats coming against Italian giants in the shape of Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli. There were four wins and three draws too, with De Zerbi going on to guide them to an 11th-placed finish.
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 15 |
Will Tottenham hit the ground running under Roberto De Zerbi?
How you finish a season is obviously more important than how you start it, but a fast start does help.
Tottenham were sixth after 10 games under Thomas Frank last season, but then only picked up another 13 points from their next 20 league matches. They were seventh under Ange Postecoglou after 10 games in 2024/25, but, again, struggled over the next 20, picking up just 18 points. They were actually first and leading the way after 10 in the big Australian’s first season in charge back in 2023/24, going on to finish 5th.
So, Tottenham have had no issue starting seasons well. Neither has De Zerbi. There’s every reason to expect these first few weeks of the season could be quite good fun.
What De Zerbi does have to his credit is the ability to finish well, too. He led Marseille to second in that first season in charge. Brighton came sixth and qualified for European football for the first time in their history. Shakhtar would have more than likely won the league had the season not been cancelled due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The pre-season work has nearly been done. There’s every reason to feel De Zerbi has been backed, perhaps more than many coaches before him. He has a track record of not just starting well, but building on it. So, as his era fully begins, there is plenty reason to be excited.