Tottenham's New Era Under Roberto De Zerbi

Tottenham’s revolving door on the touchline stopped three times last season. Three managers, three ideas, one muddled identity. Thomas Frank, the man tasked with steadying the club, did not even make it to the eight‑month mark before the axe fell.

He never truly clicked with the Spurs support. His “safety-first” approach jarred with a fanbase that has long prided itself on front-foot football, on risk, on flair. Results wobbled, the mood soured, and the gap between the stands and the dugout widened.

Now the mood music has changed.

Roberto De Zerbi has arrived with a clear promise: the ball will be Tottenham’s friend again. No more anxious retreats, no more instinct to step back when the game demands a step forward.

Micky van de Ven has felt the shift up close. The defender has lived through the turbulence and speaks like someone who recognises a turning point when he sees one.

“It’s going to be different compared to the manager we had last season,” he said, drawing a firm line between eras. Different in style, different in ambition.

Van de Ven expects a Spurs side built around possession and bravery.

“It’s going to be more with the ball, I think, more about playing football,” he explained. For a club that has often talked about philosophy as much as trophies, that matters. “I think it’s also going to be more enjoyable for people to watch because we’ll be playing offensive football.”

That word – enjoyable – has been missing from too many Tottenham conversations. Enjoyment for players. Enjoyment for fans. Enjoyment in the way the team expresses itself.

De Zerbi, by all accounts, has wasted no time imposing himself.

“You can see he has brought a lot of passion into our group, a lot in terms of mentality and passion on the pitch,” Van de Ven said. Training has carried a different edge, a different volume. Spurs needed that jolt.

“It is something we needed because everybody was a little bit down,” he admitted. The hangover from a fractured campaign lingered. A squad that had lurched from idea to idea now needed conviction, not caution.

De Zerbi’s answer has been energy and clarity. Van de Ven describes a pre-season that has not just been about fitness drills and friendly fixtures, but about rewiring the team’s footballing instincts.

“He brings a lot of good energy and, from pre-season, we have really had the time to bring his football into the team. That’s really enjoyable.”

New signings have added freshness, but it is the full pre-season under a single, assertive voice that may prove most valuable. Tottenham have been given time to learn a new language with the ball, to turn attacking talk into automatic habits.

The question now is simple and sharp: after a year of safety-first and stop-start ideas, can De Zerbi’s bold blueprint finally give Spurs a style that matches the size of the club’s ambition?