Roberto De Zerbi Banned Phones at Meals for Winless £380m Spurs Squad

• Roberto De Zerbi banned phones from breakfast, lunch and dinner at Tottenham’s training camp in Marbella.
• Spurs spent more than £380m on 10 summer signings and sit bottom of the Premier League with no wins from six games.
• De Zerbi said Richarlison, who agreed with Duncan Ferguson’s criticism of his treatment, is “not my problem” any more.

No Phones at the Table: De Zerbi’s Last Resort in Marbella

Tottenham spent more than £380m on 10 new players this summer. Their manager’s latest fix for the winless start costs nothing: put the phones away at mealtimes. Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that phones were banned from meals at the squad’s warm-weather camp in Marbella, his newest attempt to turn an expensively assembled group into a team.

“We removed phones from breakfast, lunch and dinner to stay together,” De Zerbi told a press conference. He said the group held two or three meetings “speaking about football, our situation and how everyone has to take responsibility”. Some dinners were for the players only, and some were for the staff only.

The Italian has used the idea before. “I already did this type of training camp two times with Marseille and it was a good solution,” he said. He spoke with the club, with Vinai Venkatesham, with Johan Lange and with the owner, and together they took the decision. His own verdict: “it’s nothing special.”

The Table Leaves Little Room for Bonding Sessions

Spurs host Coventry City on Monday night, live on Sky Sports, at the bottom of the Premier League with no wins from their opening six fixtures. Sky Sports reports that De Zerbi knows pressure will build if Tottenham fail to win. Earlier this month the club drew 1-1 at Manchester United with 10 men, after Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off, and Dominic Solanke scored the equaliser in the 92nd minute.

De Zerbi sees that game as a start. “Today we show we are a team for the first time this season,” he told Sky Sports afterwards. He wants more of it at home. “If we want, we can change the history of this season and the last season as well,” he said ahead of the Coventry match. He described the visitors as a good team that “deserved to win the league” in the Championship last year.

Players were not locked down in Spain. Asked whether they could go out independently, De Zerbi said: “Yes, with freedom. With no military rules. I love freedom.” He explained the point of the trip as more time together, as there was none in pre-season: “We had many new players and players who came back from the World Cup.” Three or four days without family, he said, is “normal and is good”.

Richarlison Becomes the Sideshow

Away from the team-building, one relationship has soured. Richarlison is not in Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad and played for the Under-21s last week. The Brazilian took to social media to agree with Duncan Ferguson’s criticism of how De Zerbi has treated him.

De Zerbi refused to be pulled in. “It is not my problem any more,” he said. “You have to ask [Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange]. It’s not my problem. I know as a coach I have to support and take responsibility even when it’s not my responsibility.” He added: “I have not decided anything in this situation. If he wants to speak about me, he knows where he can find me.”

Richarlison started for the Under-21s in an EFL Trophy tie at Cheltenham, scored a 56th-minute equaliser and converted in the shoot-out, though Spurs lost 7-6 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Sky Sports says he is in the final year of his deal and was told he is not in De Zerbi’s first-team plans. He turned down a move to Vasco da Gama in September.

Good News Among the Gloom

There was one bright note. Dejan Kulusevski returned to the matchday squad after more than 500 days without a competitive game, following a knee problem that put his career in jeopardy. “He has suffered too much and he deserves to feel emotion on the pitch.” James Maddison is now ready to start matches, De Zerbi said, though he was unsure whether he would begin against Coventry.

Winger Savio is out for “some weeks” with a muscle injury and Lucas Bergvall is expected to miss two weeks with a knee problem. De Zerbi’s plan for the season rests on a squad that is still learning each other’s names, and a table that does not wait for them to finish.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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