The player-coach relationship that is spearheading Tottenham's survival bid

In the absence of playmakers, Roberto De Zerbi was encouraged to summon the spirit of Bilbao for the final month of a bleak 2025/26 season.

With Xavi Simons tearing his ACL last week and James Maddison not quite ready for a morale-boosting comeback, De Zerbi pivoted to a midfield combination that committed crimes against the sport under a certain former manager.

But with the Italian in charge, Rodrigo Bentancur and João Palhinha are no longer on trial at The Hague. This is an engine room rejuvenated, thanks to the man on the touchline. A heavy emphasis on empowerment has evolved a brittle squad into one suddenly capable of swaggering around Villa Park with the prospect of relegation barely an afterthought.

It was hard to pinpoint individual brilliance in Sunday's 2-1 victory at Aston Villa because the collective was so impressive, but we'd be doing Conor Gallagher's performance a disservice if we weren't to give him a little extra credit.

Gallagher, De Zerbi trade compliments after Aston Villa win

It was the Englishman whom De Zerbi relied upon to fill the creative void, and Gallagher supplied mitigation via 90 minutes of unrelenting running. From the first whistle to last, he did not stop.

"When Gallagher plays like this, we play with 12 players because you can find him as a striker, as a midfielder, as a full back everywhere on the pitch, you can find him," De Zerbi commented after the midfielder's Player of the Match performance in the West Midlands. It was, without question, Gallagher's finest showing for the club, having been chastised at the start of his career in north London.

The midfielder had come to serve as an emblem for hierarchical incompetence, with misguided priorities in the January transfer window certainly key to our demise in 2026. I've always liked Gallagher, but didn't think he was a player we particularly needed in the winter.

Like so many around him, Gallagher appeared lost and uninspired in Thomas Frank's framework, and even more confused when Igor Tudor was around. It looked like a woeful piece of business, but De Zerbi, an actual competent football coach, has got Gallagher performing at a level that Mauricio Pochettino adored and Diego Simeone was smitten by.

Utilised as Spurs' most advanced midfielder, Gallagher hassled and harried, preventing Aston Villa from accessing the centre of the pitch. An astute De Zerbi plan was put into motion by his pressing leader, who covered every blade of grass and recorded a game-high 11 recoveries.

In possession, Gallagher was slick and efficient. He completed 85% of his passes and picked a wonderful time to score his first goal for the club. The midfielder's early strike, a pinpoint effort from range after bringing the ball down nicely, set the tone for an outstanding performance.

And De Zerbi has to take credit. His emphasis upon runners and cutting off Aston Villa's central combinations by committing to another uptick in aggression without the ball ultimately allowed Spurs to suffocate their woeful hosts on Sunday.

"I can't speak highly enough of him," Gallagher said of his manager. "He's so good. Every player in the squad has taken to him; it makes you trust him.

"It makes you feel good and confident. He's bringing the best out of players, and it's hopefully only the start. Hopefully, we can keep learning from him and build a great team."

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