Roberto De Zerbi slapped with an immediate reality check as Tottenham fears come true | Football | Sport
As the Sunderland fans inside the Stadium of Light belted out a rendition of Elvis Presley’s ‘Wise Men Say’, it was the Tottenham boss who was after ‘A Little Less Conversation’ and a lot more action from his players. Despite being afforded a three-week gap from their last outing in the Premier League, the performance the Spurs players served up was nothing short of a disgrace.
It’s been nothing but conversation from this set of Tottenham players. Talk of righting the wrongs, playing for the badge and dragging Spurs out of a position they never should’ve found themselves in to begin with. If points were handed out for empty promises, Tottenham’s players would be league champions.
Is it any surprise that Roberto De Zerbi refused Spurs’ approach after Thomas Frank’s sacking, and was once again hesitant about taking the reins after the failed Igor Tudor experiment? Goodness knows what sort of promises were made by the hierarchy to persuade De Zerbi to take charge, but just one match into his new job, it would appear the Italian’s biggest fear has already come true.
If it wasn’t already clear, Tottenham aren’t too good to go down. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
There would’ve been grassroots football teams up and down the country this weekend that played with more intensity than the so-called professionals wearing yellow at the Stadium of Light. The Europa League winners (it’s even difficult to believe that’s a real statement) approached the match as if they were a side already on the beach and jostling for positions in mid-table.
It was only when the fourth official lifted the board to show an additional 11 minutes would be added that the north Londoners began to up the ante. Of course, it rendered meaningless, because the reality is Tottenham are rubbish, and rubbish teams get relegated.
Where next on the never-ending journey of previously undiscovered lows for Spurs? To prevent the final stop being the Championship, it starts at home to De Zerbi’s old club, Brighton, in the Saturday evening kick-off. If there isn’t a win in that game, or the following outing away to Wolves, it could genuinely be curtains for Spurs.
Their run-in makes for terrifyingly brutal reading: Aston Villa (A), Leeds (H), Chelsea (A), Everton (H). Even the most optimistic of Spurs fans will now have ‘Suspicious Minds’ heading into the season’s final few weeks.
