Tottenham look destined for relegation after losing Roberto De Zerbi’s first game

Roberto De Zerbi looks on as Spurs lose again - Scott Heppell/Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur have tried to change things with three different managers this season, but the stench of relegation still clings to this team. In fact, they stink of it.

With six games left, it could prove too stubborn for Roberto De Zerbi to shift after another drab performance led to a deserved defeat in his first game in charge.

Tottenham are a weak team, mentally and physically. They do not look dangerous in attack, are lightweight in midfield and do not look likely to keep clean sheets. It is a poisonous mix.

They are a group that is low on confidence that has been playing badly for months. Two managers have tried and failed to change their direction of travel, but all the signs still point to playing Lincoln City next season. Spurs have won one game in their last 11 – a Champions League second leg against Atlético Madrid – losing eight.

Spurs players react after going behind at Sunderland - Scott Heppell/Reuters

There has been no new manager bounce, no magic wand has been waved and there was very little improvement in anything Spurs did against Sunderland.

Régis Le Bris’s side were sharper, stronger and more organised throughout. They looked like they wanted it more and that is the most damning takeaway for a team in Spurs’ predicament.

De Zerbi negotiated a deal that makes him one of the best-paid managers in the Premier League. The Italian will have to earn every penny if he is going to save Tottenham from the ignominy of the Championship next season.

After all the talk of the positive impact he has made on the training ground, despite all the dubious praise he has given to the players he inherited, this was a sharp and painful reminder of their limitations.

It was never going to be easy facing a Sunderland side who have caused far better sides than Spurs problems this season, but they should still have offered more than this.

Sunderland’s goal was extremely fortunate, as Nordi Mukiele’s shot took a massive deflection off Micky van de Ven, wrong-footing Antonin Kinksy and looping into the net. However, the way the Spurs defence allowed the right back to progress up the pitch and then cut inside off the wing to get a shot away was poor. And when things are going against you…

De Zerbi has built his reputation on the attacking flair of the teams he has managed but there was little evidence of that in his first game.

The visitors looked compact and tight, largely playing on the counterattack, but they looked vulnerable at set-pieces and Sunderland were the more dangerous team throughout.

Except for one excellent move at the start of the game, which almost led to a goal for Lucas Bergvall, this was a largely functional attacking display that created a few half-chances and little more. Worryingly, they did not create a goal-scoring opportunity after falling behind until deep in stoppage time when Pedro Porro went close with a long-range strike.

As for Sunderland, they are incredibly good at what they do and they enter the final six games of the season chasing a European spot. What a remarkable season they are having. Le Bris should be on the shortlist for manager of the year and in Brian Brobbey, they have one of the most physically dominant centre-forwards in the league. Both Spurs centre-backs, Cristian Romero and Van de Ven were booked before half-time, going through the back of the former Ajax striker as he played with his back to goal. He is a bully in the best sense of the word.

When you are a team in freefall, like Spurs, you need little things to go your way. You need some luck, but even when they thought they had a penalty in the first half, referee Rob Jones was called over to his monitor to reverse the decision.

It was never a penalty. Kolo Muani was not even appealing for the spot kick, asking for a corner, as he knew there had been no contact with Luke O’Nien sliding in and Omar Alderete had got a foot on the ball first to take it away from the midfielder.

There were a couple of half-chances for Richarlison when Spurs found him in space and able to move into the area, but on both occasions, his shots were straight at goalkeeper Robin Roefs at goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

The Dutch goalkeeper also made a decent save to smother Dominic Solanke from close range, the ball diverting wide off his foot. The match stats showed Spurs had seven shots on target to Sunderland’s two, but that did not reflect the balance of play.

To suggest Spurs were the better side would be wrong. Sunderland dominated possession and territory and also had chances.

Mukiele had a free header at the far post from a corner but put it well wide before Granit Xhaka dragged a shot millimetres wide after a header had fallen to him on the edge of the box.

Antonín Kinský also made a really good save to stop Brobbey giving the home side the lead before half-time, dashing from his line to block his shot.

Sunderland won because they were the better team overall. It is something we have said about Spurs in defeat all season. De Zerbi has six games left to change the narrative.

04:26pm

Granit Xhaka’s post-match reaction

After four weeks of not being at home, it was so important to give the fans what they needed. We knew before the season that we can beat everyone if we stay like this with the hunger and desire and take the three points.

Before the season, nobody expected us to be where we are. When I signed it was 2% chance of us staying up and now it is over 100%. Give this football club respect. We stay humble and see what we can do until the end.

It’s not my job to speak about Spurs. I am not a Spurs player. I look after these boys and this football club. We look after ourselves.

04:17pm

Spurs’ Premier League record in 2026

• Played 14
• Won 0
• Drawn 5
• Lost 9
• Goals for 13
• Goals against 28
• Points 5

Roberto De Zerbi’s new team are in serious trouble. - ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP

04:07pm

De Zerbi’s unlucky break

04:03pm

Full time: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Spurs will stay in the bottom three after a meek defeat in Roberto De Zerbi’s first game as manager. They were unfortunate with Nordi Mukiele’s winning goal, which took a huge deflection, but on the balance of play Sunderland deserved their win.

It’s now 14 Premier League games without a win for Tottenham. De Zerbi has a huge job on in the next six weeks.

Roberto De Zerbi saw his side lose a tight game at Sunderland. - Scott Heppell/Reuters

Tottenham’s players react to their defeat after the final whistle. - George Wood/Getty Images

03:59pm

Full time: Palace 2 Newcastle 1

Newcastle have let another lead slip away.

03:58pm

90+8 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Sunderland substitution Wilson Isidor replaces Brian Brobbey.

03:58pm

90+7 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

That’s better - a sizzling hit from the edge of the area by Pedro Porro that is fingertipped over by Roefs. Good save.

03:57pm

90+6 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Lots of Spurs possession now, but it’s all a bit powder-puff. They’ve created very little in the second half, and the first was hardly an orgy of chances either.

03:55pm

90+5 min: Palace 2 Newcastle 1

Quite something to witness this Newcastle implosion. From near-dominance to multi-faceted defensive headloss. Horribly harsh to award a penalty against Botman for a shirt-pull on Lerma. Lerma went down like a delicate little flower but there have been several dozen more egregious shirt tugs in the game. Suppose that’s the letter of the law and Mateta, whose very presence has changed the game, thunders the penalty past Ramsdale.

03:54pm

Full time: Forest 1 Villa 1

It ends all square at the City Ground, where Murillo’s own goal was cancelled out by his team-mate Neco Williams.

03:53pm

90+2 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Porro’s free-kick from a tight angle on the left is fumbled onto the roof of the net by Roefs. That could easily have dropped into the goal.

There will be 11 minutes of added time.

03:52pm

Goal! Palace 2 Newcastle 1 (Mateta 90+4 pen)

Palace have turned it round at Selhurst Park! Jean-Philippe Mateta, always so cool from the penalty spot, has scored his second goal to put Palace in front.

03:51pm

89 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

If it stays like this, Spurs will have taken three points from the last 12 league games and only 13 from the last 23.

03:50pm

87 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Sunderland are the only team who look like scoring at the moment. A deflected cross rolls invitingly across the six-yard box, with Kinsky out of the game, but there are Sunderland players there and Udogie boots clear.

03:48pm

87 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Brobbey appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty after being leaned on by Danso in the area. He made the most of it.

03:45pm

84 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

It’s a statement of the bleedin’ obvious but Spurs are crying out for the creativity of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison. Both are out with long-term injuries.

The next best thing is Xavi Simons, who has just been brought on to replace Conor Gallagher. There will be at least eight minutes of added time by the way.

03:43pm

82 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Xhaka clips a beautiful ball over the top for Diarra. He tees up Rigg, whose fierce shot from 20 yards is superbly blocked by Van de Ven.

Sunderland bring on Chemsdine Talbi and Trai Hume for Rigg and the goalscorer Mukiele.

03:41pm

81 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Spurs aren’t really threatening an equaliser, with Sunderland having much of the ball in the final third.

03:41pm

Goal! Palace 1 Newcastle 1 (Mateta 80)

Jean-Philippe Mateta comes off the bench to equalise for Palace!

03:37pm

76 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Fine defending from Udogie, who leans into Diarra to stop him reaching a low ball from the left. Without that intervention, Diarra would have been clean through.

Rigg is then booked for a foul, and moments later Solanke flicks a header straight at Roefs from Tel’s cross.

03:32pm

71 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Play resumes after a delay of almost eight minutes.

03:31pm

69 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Spurs substitution In fact, Cristian Romero is going off. He’s in tears as he leaves the field to be replaced by Kevin Danso. I think it’s an injury rather concussion.

Cristian Romero was tearful as he left the field. - George Wood/Getty Images

03:29pm

66 min: Nottm Forest 1 Aston Villa 1

Morgan Rogers has just missed a glorious chance to restore Villa’s lead.

03:27pm

67 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Kinsky and Romero are still being treated. Both are sitting up and look okay; in fact Romero has just bounced to his feet. Kinsky is having his head bandaged, Terry Butcher-style.

03:26pm

65 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Kinsky has a cut to the head and Spurs have sent their third-choice keeper Brandon Austin out to warm up just in case.

03:25pm

64 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Another chance for Richarlison but another timid finish from the Brazilian who passes the ball, with the side of his foot, straight at Roefs. Within minutes, Sunderland are in front. Spurs had been trying to keep things compact and tight but fell behind via a massive deflection off Micky van de Ven. That was unlucky, but the way the Spurs defence allowed Mukiele to come inside off the wing and drive to the edge of the box was poor.

Nordi Mukiele’s deflected shot wrongfoots Antonin Kinsky. - ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP

03:24pm

63 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Kinsky and Romero are down after a really nasty collision. Romero was trying to usher a long ball through to the keeper, with Brobbey right behind him. Brobbey gave Romero a little shove, I think, and Spurs are unhappy about that - especially as Brobbey has already been booked. Either way, there has been no sanction from the referee.

03:23pm

62 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0

Triple substitution Joao Palhinha, Mathys Tel and Pape Sarr come on for Bergvall, Richarlison and Gray. Roberto De Zerbi had planned that substitution before the goal.

03:21pm Goals

Goal!

61 min: Sunderland 1 Spurs 0 (Mukiele) Nordi Mukiele adds to Spurs’ woes with a freak goal! He ran infield from right-back, kept going and hit a left-foot shot from the edge of the D that took a huge deflection off Van de Ven and wrongfooted Kinsky.

It may eventually go down as a Van de Ven own goal because I’m not sure Mukiele’s shot was on target.

03:21pm

60 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Richarlison’s sidefooted shot through the legs of a defender is a bit telegraphed and saved comfortably by Roefs. Hasn’t been the best second half so far.

03:18pm

59 min: Palace 0 Newcastle 1

Newcastle have been in charge since their goal and Osula had a decent chance to double the lead, well saved by Henderson after some ropey Palace passing. Both teams still squandering potentially fruitful positions too often with poor passes or general lethargy. Nine teams in Europe has not been good for the Premier League #product, especially in these Sunday games.

03:15pm

55 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Spurs’ last clean sheet in the Premier League was a goalless draw at Brentford on New Year’s Day. If you can’t win the game, don’t lose it and all that.

03:14pm

53 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Udogie goes down in the D after a challenge from O’Nien. The referee Rob Jones decides it was a legitimate hand-off rather than a foul. Had he given a free-kick, O’Nien might have been off for a Dogso.

03:11pm

50 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Richarlison receives a return pass from Bergvall, charges into the six-yard box and is denied by a fine last-ditch tackle from O’Nien.

03:07pm

46 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Back under way at the Stadium of Light, and in the other 2pm kick-offs.

Roberto De Zerbi watches his new side in action. - Scott Heppell/Reuters

02:52pm

Half time: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

A quiet first half comes to an end. Both keepers made big saves just before the break; until then they had much more to do with their feet than their hands. Robertbo De Zerbi will be reasonably happy, but Spurs can do more in the final third.

02:52pm

Half time: Nottm Forest 1 Aston Villa 1

Forest have come back into this game strongly and deserved their equaliser from Neco Williams. They have the option of last season’s leading scorer Chris Wood on the bench, after his recent return from a long-term knee injury.

Villa’s head coach Unai Emery has been box office to watch in the technical area: constantly in motion and offering advice to his players. Morgan Rogers is having one of those afternoons where he does something brilliant and then poor in the space of a minute.

02:50pm

Half time: Crystal Palace 0 Newcastle 1

02:50pm

45+4 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Big save by Roefs! The sliding Alderete cuts out a dangerous cross but can only give the ball to Solanke, six yards out to the left of centre. Roefs spreads himself to make a similar save to Kinsky’s at the other end.

02:47pm

45+1 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Big save by Kinksy! A free-kick from the left is headed on and bounces through to Brobbey, five yards out at the far post. Kinsky flies out to make a terrific block.

02:45pm

45 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

A nice cross form Pedro Porro is volleyed acrobatically wide by Solanke, 10 yards out. Very tough chance.

02:43pm Goals

Goal! Palace 0 Newcastle 1 (Osula 43)

Two good passing moves from a nothing half and Newcastle have the lead. The first ended with a Hall cross well cleared but Newcastle kept the ball and sent it towards the other wing. Two neat triangles gave Lewis Miley a chance for a searing low pass, Maxence Lacroix was caught out and Osula hacked it past Henderson at the second attempt.

Will Osula puts Newcastle in front. - Matthew Childs/Action Images via Reuters

02:42pm

42 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Spurs have been okay in the first half, no more or less. Antonin Kinsky hasn’t had a save to make, though Nordi Mukiele missed a great chance for Sunderland and Granit Xhaka shot just wide.

02:40pm Goals

Goal! Nottm Forest 1 Aston Villa 1 (Williams 38)

Neco Williams has equalised at the City Ground with a cracking strike!

02:37pm

37 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Van de Ven is booked for fouling Brobbey on the edge of the area, as has Pedro Porro for dissent.

02:36pm

36 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Solanke has a shot blocked after a rapid Spurs break. Sunderland have come closest to scoring but Spurs, Solanke in particular, have looked quite sharp at the other end.

02:34pm

33 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Brobbey is booked for nudging his elbow into the face of Porro, who was holding him back. Spurs wanted a red card but the referee decided the force of the blow only merited a yellow.

02:33pm

32 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Just wide from Xhaka! A long throw is headed away to the edge of the area, where Xhaka runs onto the loose ball and whistles a first-time shot through the crowd. It beats Kinsky and goes this far wide of the far post.

02:32pm

32 min: Palace 0 Newcastle 0

Thom Gibbs (Selhurst)

Woeful game here. Kindest thing you could say it both defences are doing a fair job. Both teams capable of stepping up to win ball and prevent any promising attacking moves. Both teams equally capable of giving away the ball themselves. My highlight so far has been the William Osula song to the tune of Tequila. The Champs version, not Terrorvision.

02:29pm

28 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Chance for Mukiele! The resulting free-kick is headed horribly wide from six yards by the unmarked Mukiele. That was a great chance and he got it all wrong.

02:28pm

28 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Cristian Romero is booked for taking out Brian Brobbey.

02:27pm

27 min: Nottm Forest 0 Aston Villa 1

Forest have been strangely passive so far, and are now a goal behind.

Vitor Pereira made a number of changes for the Europa League tie in Porto, preferring to play what is effectively his first-team here against Villa.

It has not appeared to work so far.

02:26pm

Premier League latest scores

• Crystal Palace 0-0 Newcastle
• Nottingham Forest 0-1 Aston Villa (Murillo og)
• Sunderland 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

02:26pm

25 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

That was never a penalty for Tottenham and I’m amazed referee Rob Jones blew for it in real time. Kolo Muani was not even appealing for the spot kick, he was appealing for a corner. There was a coming together and presumably Jones thought Luke O’Nien had slid in and brought the Spurs player down, but there was no contact and Omar Alderete had actually got a foot on the ball first anyway to take it away from the midfielder. VAR intervenes and the decision is changed after a look at his monitor.

Randal Kolo Muani is challenged by two Sunderland defenders. - Sky Sports/Sky Sports

02:24pm Goals

Goal! Nottm Forest 0 Aston Villa 1 (Murillo og 23)

Aston Villa have struck first at the City Ground! Morgan Rogers was inevitably involved with a fierce cross that was turned into his own net by Murillo.

02:23pm

No penalty to Spurs!

23 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0 No real complaints for Spurs, which says it all.

02:21pm

Penalty to Spurs!

21 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0 Sunderland can’t believe this, and the decision may be overturned by VAR. Kolo Muani, who was going nowhere, was sandwiched between Alderete and O’Nien and went over. If anything Kolo Muani kicked Alderete’s foot. There was disbelief when the referee pointed to the spot.

VAR have asked the referee to go to the monitor.

02:19pm

19 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Chance for Sunderland! Reinildo combines superbly with Le Fee, whose teasing cross is headed over from five yards by Brobbey. He rose well, perhaps a split-second too early on reflection, but couldn’t quite get over the ball.

Brian Brobbey heads over the bar. - Stu Forster/Getty Images

02:18pm

17 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Le Fee’s routine ball in from the left is muffed by the off-balance Romero and looks set to run kindly for Brobbey in the six-yard goal. Kinsky reacts quickly to dive on the ball.

02:15pm

15 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

It’s been a stress-free start for Antonin Kinsky, with just that Xhaka corner threatening to cause any problems. He’s had a lot of touches with his feet, though, with Spurs building right from the back in the De Zerbi style.

Antonin Kinsky palms Granit Xhaka’s corner over the bar. - Lee Smith/Action Images via Reuters

02:12pm

11 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Tottenham almost cut Sunderland apart with their first attack of the De Zerbi era. It was a fantastic move and I’m still not entirely sure how Lucas Bergvall did not convert Solanke’s pull back from the byline. It was a last-ditch toe from a Sunderland defender to take it away.

Spurs have also spurned another wonderful chance, Richarlison deciding to take on a shot first time and putting it weakly into the arms of Robin Roefs. He could have taken a touch and set himself given the amount of time and space he had.

Encouraging for Spurs, as is the fact Antonin Kinksy has also survived his first examination in goal. Sunderland were always going to swing their corner right on top of the goalkeeper, but Kinksy did well to palm the first away as it threatened to bend into the far corner.

Sunderland have come back into this though and are putting pressure on the Spurs defence.

Roberto De Zerbi reacts after a near miss for Tottenham. - Scott Heppell/Reuters

02:09pm

9 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Brian Brobbey challenges Micky van de Ven - Richard Sellers/PA

02:07pm

7 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Sunderland win their first corner on the right. It’s set to be an outswinger until Granit Xhaka pulls rank so that he can test Antonin Kinsky with an inswinger. Xhaka curls the corner right under the crossbar and Kinsky has to backpedal to slap it over the bar. The follow-up corner is cleared by Spurs.

02:06pm

5 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

It’s been a decent start for Spurs, with plenty of the patient, cat-and-mouse possession we saw from De Zerbi’s Brighton.

After another such move, Kolo Muani breaks the midfield line and finds Richarlison on the left side of the area. His first-time shot dribbles through to Roefs. On reflection he had time to take a touch.

02:03pm

2 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Nearly the perfect start for Roberto De Zerbi! Solanke makes an excellent run to the byline and screws the ball back towards Bergvall, six yards out. He can’t make contact under pressure from a defender and then Porro’s shot from the edge of the area is saved by Roefs. For a second, Bergvall looked set to score.

Dominic Solanke in action. - ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP

02:01pm

1 min: Sunderland 0 Spurs 0

Spurs kick off from left to right as we watch. Richarlison plays the ball straight back to Kinsky, who launches it downfield. Not a bad idea to give him an early touch, even one as straightforward as that.

01:59pm

De Zerbi takes his seat

Roberto De Zerbi, who has wisely worn a gilet on a sunny but blustery day in Sunderland, looks relaxed as he takes his seat in the dugout. I was going to say the De Zerbi Years start here for Spurs, but ‘years’ is a bit of a hostage to fortune in modern football.

Roberto De Zerbi takes his seat. - ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP

01:41pm

Martinez injured in the warm-up

Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez will miss the match after injuring himself in the warm-up. Marco Bizot replaces him.

This has happened at least three times before. Very odd. Bad preparation or just a huge coincidence?

01:38pm

Forest hoping for some home comfort

Away from Europe, this is clearly a huge game for both Forest and Villa in the Premier League.

Villa are back in the driving seat for Champions League qualification after recovering from a recent stumble.

Forest’s win over Tottenham before the international break reinvigorated their survival mission but they remain in deep trouble.

You have to go all the way back to December 14 for Forest’s last home win in the Premier League. This game feels pretty significant for both clubs.

01:35pm

Roberto De Zerbi’s pre-match interview

It was not so easy to select the first XI because I’m lucky – we have a lot of very good players. It was very difficult.

[On starting all three of Richarlison, Solanke and Kolo Muani] They are different players; they play in different positions. Solanke is the striker. We are trying to win the game and to do that we need to score.

[On the selection of Antonin Kinsky] I believe in him. He has to stay calm and believe in himself. He has the right quality to play in the Premier League; he’s shown that in the past. He has to forget [Atletico Madrid] and focus on this game because we need him.

We have to fight. We have to play with the right spirit and help each other on the pitch. We have to keep our head, show our qualities and not forget who we are. When they play like they can, we can compete against every team in the Premier League.

01:26pm

Glasner prioritises Europa League

Differing priorities seeping through the line-ups at Selhurst Park. Palace are in Europa Conference League mode, with a clear eye on their second leg at Fiorentina on Thursday.

Second choice options for them in central midfield (Will Hughes, Jefferson Lerma) and in attack (Brennan Johnson, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Yeremy Pino). Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr are on the bench in case of emergency.

Newacstle strengthened by the return of Sandro Tonali who missed Eddie Howe’s job-endagering defeat to Sunderland. Tino Livramento and Jacob Murphy in from the start, and Sven Botman who appeared to hurt himself in the Tyne-Wear derby.

01:24pm

In the firing line

Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky warms up at the Stadium of Light. - George Wood/Getty Images Europe

01:15pm

Forest v Villa: a Europa League dress rehearsal?

Could this be a potential warm-up for a European semi-final?

Aston Villa have a huge advantage ahead of their quarter-final second leg against Bologna, while Forest face Porto on Thursday in the Europa League after a 1-1 draw.

Villa and Forest will face each other in the last four if they can finish the job later this week.

Victory here could deliver an early blow before a potential full English in the semi-final.

01:14pm

Spence and Simons left out by De Zerbi

Roberto De Zerbi’s first teamsheet has arrived as Tottenham Hotspur manager and it is not good news for Djed Spence or Xavi Simons who are both named on the bench.

A lot has been said about the lack of quality in the Spurs side - as well as a crippling injury list - but with the possible exception of the goalkeeper, that looks like a decent Premier League XI. Certainly, it is not a team that should be sat third from bottom in the table and staring into the relegation abyss.

De Zerbi is the third manager this season to try and get a tune out of this group and all the mood music coming out of North London since the Italian arrived has been positive.

The training has been good, detailed and invigorating. De Zerbi has used his first appearances in front of the media to talk up the quality of the players he has inherited. The survival mission has got off to an encouraging start.

But here comes the first stress test against a Sunderland side that has been a nightmare to play against all season and is coming off the back of a derby win over Newcastle.

The Black Cats have lost their last three home games and know they cannot afford to make it a fourth in front of their own supporters

It is time for the talking to stop. If Spurs are going to get out of trouble, they need to give reason for optimism on the pitch. They have struggled to do that under two previous managers this season.

01:13pm

De Zerbi needs managing – but there is nobody at Spurs to rein him in

By Sam Wallace

Spurs could very quickly be Roberto De Zerbi’s club – certainly if he is successful in steering the team away from the relegation zone beginning with the trip to Sunderland today. The suggestion is that he has negotiated one of the most lucrative deals for any manager in the Premier League – chiefly by virtue of declining the job for some time.

He is in power and, at a club where no one else seems to have a plan, De Zerbi has plenty of them.

Read more...

01:01pm

Kinsky’s 17-minute disasterclass

In case you’ve forgotten the extent of Antonin Kinsky’s awful night in Madrid on 10 March, here’s a breakdown of the events that led to him being substituted after 17 minutes.

6 min: Atlético Madrid 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (Kinsky blunder)
The call to drop Vicario for Kinsky was a bold one by Tudor. Just six minutes in, it backfired as the Czech Republic international slipped, handing Atlético the easiest of openers for a nightmare start in Madrid.

15 min: Atlético 3 Spurs 0 (Kinsky blunder 2.0)
From worse to a complete disaster, Kinsky had to check whether he had the right boots on after the first goal but he had no excuses for the third. After fluffing an attempted first-time cleared backpass, Julián Alvarez had an open goal.

Read more...

A devastated Antonin Kinksy can’t watch as Julian Alvarez puts Atletico Madrid 3-0 up against Spurs last month. - Denis Doyle/Getty Images Sport

Antonin Kinsky roars with frustration during a nightmare performance against Atletico Madrid. - Sports Press Photo/Getty Images Europe

12:56pm

Tudor’s shameful treatment of Kinsky was the ultimate sporting humiliation

With Antonin Kinsky starting for Spurs, it’s worth revisiting this piece from Oliver Brown on that disastrous night in Madrid last month.

Nobody embodies Tottenham’s path to perdition quite so starkly as poor Antonin Kinsky. Just 14 months ago, he was the beaming face of his basket case of a club, climbing into the stands for an emotional embrace with sister Andrea after an inspired performance against Liverpool on his debut.

How jarringly that moment collided with this week’s pitiful scene at Atletico Madrid, as the 22-year-old sloped off the pitch in torment, substituted in only the 17th minute after conceding three goals, each in more gruesome fashion than the last. He was plainly inconsolable, and yet manager Igor Tudor, with a telling lack of backbone, refused even to look at him.

Read more...

12:52pm

Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa team news

12:51pm

Crystal Palace v Newcastle team news

12:50pm

Sunderland team news

12:47pm

Tottenham Hotspur team news

Roberto De Zerbi makes five changes from Spurs’ last game under Igor Tudor, the 3-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest. Antonin Kinsky, who was taken off after 17 disastrous minutes against Atletico Madrid in his last appearance for Spurs, replaces the injured Guglielmo Vicario in goal. Destiny Udogie, Randal Kolo Muani, Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall also come into the side.

12:30pm

Zerbi: I want my team to play like Ange’s Spurs

By Sam Dean

Roberto De Zerbi wants his Tottenham Hotspur players to revert to the more adventurous style of play they showed under former head coach Ange Postecoglou.

De Zerbi has seven games to save Spurs from relegation and he has demanded “courage and personality” from his team going into his first game, away to Sunderland on Sunday.

Postecoglou was sacked by Spurs last summer after winning the Europa League and finishing 17th in the Premier League, but had initially thrilled the Spurs fans with his attacking approach, dubbed “Ange Ball”.

“I want to see again the Tottenham I watched with Postecoglou,” said De Zerbi, who most recently managed Brighton and Marseille before his appointment in north London. “In my second season in Brighton there was Postecoglou here with a lot of these players, and it was one of the best teams in terms of quality of play. I would like to see it again.”

De Zerbi has admitted, though, that he does not have enough time to implement his own tactical ideas this season. He is therefore prioritising the creation of the “right spirit, attitude and behaviour” from a group of players who have long been accused of mental fragility.

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12:29pm

Last time Spurs looked too good to go down, they proved us all wrong

By Jim White

Forty-nine years ago, nobody believed it could happen either. And when the moment came and Tottenham Hotspur were doomed to be relegated from England’s top division, no one looked more astonished at the turn of events than Pat Jennings. The great keeper had won the Uefa Cup, the FA Cup and the League Cup (twice) with the club. Yet here he was confronting humiliation as, in their penultimate fixture of the season, his Spurs side shipped five goals against Manchester City in a match they could not lose if they were to survive.

“I was at that game,” recalls Danny Kelly, the broadcaster and host of the Spurs podcast The View From The Lane. “At the end I just remember Pat, who had won the footballer of the year only a couple of years earlier, staring out across the pitch with this look that said ‘this isn’t right, this just can’t be’.”

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12:28pm

Today’s Premier League fixtures (2pm KO unless stated)

• Crystal Palace v Newcastle
• Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa
• Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur
• Chelsea v Manchester City (4.30pm)

Roberto De Zerbi arrives at the Stadium of Light. - Stu Forster/Getty Images Europe

12:26pm

Good afternoon

Things were looking bleak for Tottenham when they drew 1-1 at home to Sunderland at the start of January. They had plummeted from third in the table at the end of October to 13th, and their new manager Thomas Frank was under increasing pressure after a miserable run of two wins in 11 games.

Fast forward three months and that particular crisis feels like a golden age. Since that Sunderland game, Spurs have failed to win in 11 Premier League games, picking up only three draws, and their new manager Roberto De Zerbi will take charge of a team in the relegation zone.

Since the start of November, Spurs’ Premier League record is P22 W2 D7 L13 Pts 13. That’s not relegation form; it’s far worse than that. Even Wolves have picked up more points in the same period. It’s hard to believe Spurs are in this mess – but they are and it’s getting worse by the week. The days of a a first relegation since 1977 being unthinkable are long gone.

De Zerbi has seven games to work some magic, starting with a tough trip to the Stadium of Light. “We have no time to work like in Brighton or Marseille, or in other places I’ve been,” he said. “I don’t want to put confusion inside of the players. They have to have a clear plan and not too much instruction, not too much thinking.

“They have to run, they have to play with courage and personality and they have to fight. That’s it. For me, my demand is to show the right spirit I want to see.”

Sunderland v Spurs is one of three 2pm kick-offs. We’ll also have updates from Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa, a big game at both ends of the table, and Crystal Palace v Newcastle United. But our main focus will be events at the Stadium of Light, where Spurs desperately need a positive result.

Kick off 2pm.

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