No European football for Tottenham Hotspur could be a blessing in disguise

Tottenham Hotspur have had a lacklustre season so far, and there are very few positives up for grabs between now and the end of the season.

The most important thing Spurs do between now and the end of the current campaign is to solidify their spot in the Premier League for next season. The Lilywhites have appointed Roberto De Zerbi, who will lead the club into their remaining seven league fixtures.

De Zerbi’s first game in the dugout as Spurs boss is away against Sunderland, who are on the hunt for European football this season, something Spurs will not achieve.

Last season’s Europa League winners crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Atlético Madrid, who are currently 2-0 up on aggregate against La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Despite Tottenham Hotspur’s terrible league campaign, the European competition was a way of the club taking their mind off their domestic form, and giving it all to the Champions League. But with no European football next season, it could be a blessing in disguise for the league strugglers.

De Zerbi will want to implement his style of play into the squad, and huge amounts of time on the training ground will be needed. One Achilles heel to Ange Postecoglou’s style of play was getting it across to the playing squad, amidst the challenges of playing in four competitions.

With Spurs’ new Italian boss coming into the club with the focus only on winning domestic trophies, then more midweek days will be spent on the training ground.

For example, looking at Manchester United, a change in management and the freedom of being able to play one match a week has allowed Michael Carrick to implement his style of play to the squad, which has seen a major benefit to their results in the league.

Spurs have had struggles managing all four competitions over the past two seasons (Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa/Champions League), but removing the European matches will allow De Zerbi more time with his squad.

Tottenham Hotspur cannot afford a third consecutive Premier League season full of struggles and losing matches, and that will be one of De Zerbi’s targets going forward. During his spell at Brighton, he won 26 of his 70 Premier League matches, drawing 19 and losing 25. He helped the club secure European football for the first time and also reached the FA Cup semi-finals during the 2022/23 season.

The sole focus on domestic competitions will help spearhead the team up the league and avoid any distractions from European football. The FA Cup and Carabao Cup will help provide Spurs with strong chances of silverware outside of the league, but the fixtures of those competitions will not be as demanding on the team as the Champions League is.

At Olympique Marseille, De Zerbi won 39 of his 69 games with the side, as they tried to chase down European champions PSG. On matchday five of this season, Marseille defeated PSG 1-0 in the League, which was their first win of five on the bounce.

While the disappointment of no European football will hurt everyone linked with Spurs, it could be a blessing in disguise to strengthen their league form and put the foundations down for De Zerbi’s tenure at the club. The Italian boss was able to spearhead Brighton into Europe through no European football and make the Seagulls a difficult side to beat in the 2022-23 season, and he will look to replicate that season with Spurs next campaign, if they remain in the top flight of English football.