Roberto De Zerbi's Impact on Tottenham's Identity Shift

Tottenham spent last season trapped in a holding pattern. Three managers came and went, and by the time Thomas Frank’s short reign ended before the eight‑month mark, the mood around the club had curdled into frustration and fatigue.

Frank never truly clicked with the Spurs support. His cautious, “safety‑first” approach grated on a fanbase that has long prided itself on front‑foot, expressive football. Results mattered, of course, but so did the way Tottenham went about chasing them. Too often, they looked inhibited, more concerned with avoiding mistakes than seizing games.

Into that vacuum of belief steps Roberto De Zerbi, and inside the dressing room the change already feels seismic.

Micky van de Ven has seen enough in pre-season to sense a shift in identity. The defender expects a very different Tottenham to emerge once the campaign begins.

“It’s going to be different compared to the manager we had last season,” Van de Ven said, drawing a clear line under the Frank era. This is not a tweak; it is a reset.

Where Spurs once retreated into their shell, Van de Ven now talks about a side built around the ball, not fear of losing it. “It’s going to be more with the ball, I think, more about playing football,” he said. The message is simple: Tottenham intend to impose themselves again.

That change is not just tactical, it is aesthetic. Van de Ven believes supporters will feel it from the stands. “I think it’s also going to be more enjoyable for people to watch because we’ll be playing offensive football.”

This is exactly what Spurs fans have been demanding. Aggression. Territory. Purpose. For too long, home games felt like an exercise in patience. De Zerbi promises something closer to a spectacle.

What has struck Van de Ven most is the Italian’s intensity. “You can see he has brought a lot of passion into our group, a lot in terms of mentality and passion on the pitch,” he said. After a bruising, disjointed season, that edge had dulled. Confidence ebbed away, and with it the swagger that once defined this club.

“It is something we needed because everybody was a little bit down,” Van de Ven admitted. That honesty underlines just how drained the squad had become by constant change and conservative football that never truly convinced.

De Zerbi’s arrival, combined with new signings and a full pre-season, has given him time most of his predecessors never enjoyed. No firefighting. No mid-season scramble. Just weeks on the training ground to engrain his ideas.

“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,” Van de Ven said.

Tottenham have been here before, talking about philosophy and identity. The difference now will be measured not in slogans but in the way they attack, the risks they take, and the connection they rebuild with a fanbase desperate to believe again.