There is no question that Thomas Frank was a total disaster as the Tottenham Hotspur manager, and the only question Spurs fans have at this point is just how bad was Frank compared to every other manager in the club's history.
Spurs were toothless, cowardly, and spiraled into a Premier League relegation fight. They are on the verge of their worst ever season and the absolute unthinkable, and they are now at the mercy of new coach Roberto De Zerbi to come in and save them.
It has not taken long, but De Zerbi is already showing that he is a much better option than Frank was last summer purely as a coach from a footballing perspective, and he is also a clear upgrade tactically on interim manager Igor Tudor.
Roberto De Zerbi wants to score
Already in his first press conference as Tottenham Hotspur manager prior to his debut against Sunderland in the Premier League, Roberto De Zerbi has outlined a clear philosophy in brief and a plan for how he wants Spurs to play.
Here is what he told the media, via Last Word on Spurs, My style is one part. One part the style of play and part is about the character and personality. I don't have time for principles or build-up, I want to give organisation with the ball and without the ball. What I want to do and what I want to achieve is the character. The right spirit, courage to play and attack. The DNA of this club and squad is to find the goal, to score. I can in this part, I can be able to transfer my principle.”
That is very beautifully said by De Zerbi, and Tottenham fans will especially like the honesty and the humility from RDZ to admit that Spurs are in too dire straits right now in the heat of a relegation battle for him to focus on principles and build-up play.
What De Zerbi is going to do is simple but effective. He is going to build on how Igor Tudor was trying to make Tottenham a more well drilled and organize side so that they did not fold and embarrass themselves. While he had limited success with that, looking at the last 3-0 result to Nottingham Forest, he was better than Frank, and now De Zerbi will be better still.
Plus, the part about De Zerbi talking about Tottenham needing to score and have that DNA of being a team that scores goals is massive. It's something Frank never did and never understood, this need to find the back of thenet and show some character and personality. Frank's teams were flat with no threat, and De Zerbi understands that this was not how Tottenham fans wanted to see their team play - nor was it remotely effective.