'I played for Roberto De Zerbi and Jurgen Klopp - they're more similar than you think'
One former Premier League ace who played under Roberto De Zerbi has likened the new Tottenham boss to Jurgen Klopp. The Italian was ushered in as Spurs' third manager of the season, after a disastrous interim spell for Igor Tudor, who left the club just 43 days after replacing Thomas Frank.
Spurs could find themselves in the relegation zone by the time De Zerbi takes charge of his first game as Tottenham boss. The north Londoners are at serious risk of a first demotion to the second tier since 1977, with a crucial seven games of the campaign remaining.
Adam Lallana, who played under De Zerbi at Brighton, has full confidence that Spurs will avoid the drop with their new manager at the helm. Speaking on talkSPORT's breakfast show, the ex-Southampton ace said: "I just think they're very, very fortunate. I'm actually slightly jealous. I was speaking to a player at Spurs who was picking my brains about him. I just know they're going to be in for a rollercoaster, but a great one...
EXPRESS SPORT ON FB!
"Roberto's an extremely smart man. He'll know he's not got time to play a certain way, a certain style. He won't be snobbish to not understand that. He knows he's got to go in there and motivate a group of men. I have no doubt he'd be able to emulate that at Spurs.
"Luckily for Roberto, he might not know that but he's one of the most inspirational managers and people there is, in my opinion. After five minutes of him speaking in our first meeting when he joined Brighton, I was on board."
Before joining Brighton, Lallana made 178 appearances for Liverpool, most of which came under the tutelage of Klopp. Likening the German to De Zerbi, he added: "I always compared him (De Zerbi) with Jurgen, actually.
"Probably just the passion that they both possess for the game. I think tactically and game mode-wise, they're completely different. But in terms of love and passion for football, they're exactly the same."
Tottenham will have another weekend off as they were knocked out of the FA Cup early doors, meaning their next match (and De Zerbi's first) will come away to Sunderland on April 12. After that, De Zerbi's maiden home match in charge will come against Brighton, before Spurs travel to bottom-placed Wolves at the end of the month.