James Maddison has given a blunt explanation for how Tottenham steadied themselves after a miserable season. He says Roberto De Zerbi’s late-night work, and the way he handled the group, helped stop the club’s campaign from sliding into disaster. Tottenham finished 17th on 38 points, so this was never a comfort story.
Why Maddison thinks De Zerbi made the difference
Maddison’s most revealing detail was the simplest one. He said De Zerbi was still at the training ground at 9pm with six staff members and a tactics board, and described a manager who was “the last one to leave the training ground”. That sort of routine matters only if players actually believe it, and Maddison clearly does.
He also said De Zerbi’s authenticity mattered. In Maddison’s words, the manager was “just obsessed with football” and genuine about Tottenham, which is a better explanation than any vague talk about motivation. The club had an “astronomical” injury problem, worse than any other side, so the room for error was already tiny.
Kinsky’s season shows how fragile the run was
The survival push was not built on one clean arc. Antonín Kinský had already lived through a brutal low point when he lost his footing twice and was substituted after 17 minutes with Tottenham 3-0 down against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg, a game they lost 5-2.
He later came back into the picture with crucial last-gasp stops at Wolves, in the home draw with Leeds, and against Everton in the final seconds. De Zerbi even said he briefly thought about making Kinsky captain for the Sunderland game to help him through a difficult period, which tells you how much the staff were trying to keep him steady. Kinsky also finished with a 6.87 Premier League rating, a much better reflection of where he ended up than that Atletico nightmare.
De Zerbi’s comments on Guglielmo Vicario and Radu Drăguşin point in the same direction. He praised Drăguşin for staying positive in the dressing room, and said Vicario accepted his decision with a smile. This looked like a squad that needed handling as much as coaching, and Tottenham’s end-of-season survival was shaped by both.
FAQ
How did Roberto De Zerbi help Tottenham survive the season?
James Maddison says De Zerbi’s late-night training-ground work and authenticity mattered to the players. Maddison said he was at the training ground at 9pm with six staff members and a tactics board, and that his passion for Tottenham felt genuine. Tottenham finished 17th on 38 points, so the praise sits against a season they narrowly steadied.
Why are players praising Roberto De Zerbi’s man-management at Tottenham?
The clearest examples in the brief are James Maddison’s praise of De Zerbi’s intensity and his handling of Antonin Kinsky. De Zerbi said he briefly considered making Kinsky captain for the Sunderland game to help him through a difficult spell, and he also singled out players such as Radu Drăguşin and Micky van de Ven for their contributions.
What happened to Antonin Kinsky after the Atletico Madrid collapse?
Kinsky’s season changed sharply after losing his footing twice and being substituted after 17 minutes with Tottenham 3-0 down against Atletico Madrid, in a match that finished 5-2 to Atletico. He later made crucial last-gasp stops at Wolves, against Leeds and in the final seconds against Everton, while De Zerbi even considered making him captain for one game.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
