The first shock for the new manager upon taking charge at Tottenham

Tottenham's new manager faces a shock on his first day as the team falls into a squad crisis, losing key pillars ahead of an important away match against Sunderland.

Roberto De Zerbi has immediately encountered challenges upon arriving at Tottenham. The new Italian manager, tasked with saving "The Spurs" from relegation risk, is struggling with an increasingly long injury list and has lost another key pillar before the away trip to Sunderland.

Tottenham signed a five-year contract with De Zerbi to prevent relegation, as the team is only one point above the relegation zone. Upon his introduction, De Zerbi expressed his excitement: “I am delighted to join this wonderful club, one of the greatest and most prestigious in the world. In all discussions with the leadership, the ambition to build a team competing for major trophies and playing attractive, inspiring football for the fans has always been clear.”

Pape Sarr has just joined the injury list, suffering a shoulder issue during Senegal's national team camp, missing the friendly against Gambia. This is a major loss as the midfield is already depleted, with key players like Guglielmo Vicario, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski all unavailable. Additionally, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus are also injured, creating an extremely difficult team selection puzzle ahead of the away match against Sunderland on April 12.

Besides the squad issues, De Zerbi also faces skepticism from a section of fans. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust expressed “serious concern” about the appointment, related to De Zerbi’s past defense of Mason Greenwood in France.

De Zerbi has no time to adapt as Spurs have not won any matches in the 2026 Premier League. The match against Sunderland will be a high-pressure debut, and the long-term contract without a relegation release clause shows the board’s absolute confidence in the Italian manager’s ability. Now, De Zerbi must quickly find solutions, both to revive the team and regain fan trust, during Tottenham’s critical survival phase.