After the arrival of new head coach Roberto de Zerbi, the Tottenham Hotspur turnaround has picked up pace as Spurs have moved out of the Premier League relegation zone with three games to go.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion manager has the North London side playing good football once more, as their recent 2-1 win over Aston Villa showed.
Goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison in a rapid 25 minutes saw Spurs take the game to the UEFA Champions League football-hunting Villans.
Unai Emery’s side, who face Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg on Thursday, saw the Spanish manager make several changes to the starting XI for the clash against Tottenham.
Regardless of that, Spurs were on top for most of the game, taking over double the amount of shots and four times the amount of shots on target.
For Tottenham, the win pushed them above West Ham United in the Premier League relegation battle, as the Hammers were defeated this weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur Turnaround: Roberto de Zerbi Has Spurs Dreaming Of Premier League Safety
Since Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 thumping of Spurs on March 22, Tottenham Hotspur were in big trouble after losing a Premier League relegation battle six-pointer.
Igor Tudor was subsequently sacked, and on March 31, Roberto de Zerbi was announced as the new Tottenham Hotspur head coach.
His tenure didn’t get off to the best of starts with a 1-0 loss to Sunderland; however, the fight and the hunger were there as they were plunged into the Premier League relegation zone.
Next, there was a clash against Roberto de Zerbi’s former side, Brighton, and Spurs were moments away from picking up their first league win in 2026, but Georginio Rutter stole that joy away in the 95th minute, as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Last weekend, Spurs were finally able to get that elusive win, with Joao Palhinha’s effort enough to get them a 1-0 victory over bottom-of-the-league Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Looking at this weekend’s game, Spurs were on the front foot, dominant in their play, and well worth the 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Their stern midfield of Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Gallagher played with freedom and were able to string the passes together to the forwards.
Mathys Tel got an assist, Richarlison scored, and Randal Kolo-Muani was a constant threat, as Spurs’ forward line ran riot and got them the much-needed win.
Roberto de Zerbi’s arrival has not only woken the Spurs players up, but it has also allowed them to believe that even during a poor season like this, there is still a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel in the Premier League relegation battle.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Eli Junior Kroupi Form: The Teenage Star Rewriting Premier League Records At AFC Bournemouth
Tottenham Hotspur Turnaround: UEFA Champions League Almost Guaranteed For Villa
From the Premier League relegation zone to looking at the race for European football, the loss has not dented the Villans’ dreams of UEFA Champions League football next season.
With a European semi-final to contend with in midweek, Unai Emery made several changes to his starting lineup for the clash against Spurs, something that was bound to happen.
A win against Tottenham would have strengthened their grip on the top five and would have all but guaranteed UEFA Champions League football in 2026/27.
However, with a third consecutive defeat, Villa still have the chance of slipping out of the top five with three games to go, as teams like Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton still have the chance of leapfrogging them in the table.
For Villa, a six-point gap over Bournemouth and the rest of the UEFA Champions League football-chasing pack is their saving grace at the moment.
Unai Emery’s side have experienced a massive drop off from where they were at the start of 2026, but with a comfortable points buffer over the rest, the Villans are on track to secure a top-five finish.
Their defeat against Spurs at the weekend marked a continued torrid run of form, and ahead of a UEFA Europa League semi-final, a win would have done them the world of good.
With that being said, Emery was able to rotate his side and rest many of his first-team players, but wins get you confidence and losing to a Premier League relegation zone battler is something Villa would have wanted to avoid.
On Thursday, Villa face Forest in the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg, and Emery will hope that the changes that he made for the Spurs clash will make a positive impact in the crunch clash for a place in the final.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
Recording Date: 03.05.2026
Leave a Reply