As I said a few weeks ago - the thing about him, is that he understands what it means to coach Tottenham Hotspur in 2026.
You can't just be a coach, in a supportive environment, at a club out of the media glare, where all the moving parts work without you. None of that applies at Spurs - a big, rich, chaotic club constantly trapped in our own heads, in the full glare of the media and in need of a saviour.
To coach Spurs, you have to be a bit of a nutcase messiah. Someone who makes everyone - players, fans, staff, board - believe in him and what he wants to do. You have to believe, even when no one else does. Because everyone in the hierarchy of an organization that employs hundreds, looks to you to give them permission to believe, too.
I said when we had Poch (iirc) that we're a club with daddy issues. Sounds ridiculous given we're a billion-pound enterprise, but it's true. We need a father figure to make us believe. Poch was the closest we ever came.
De Zerbi, despite his personal flaws, has that quality in spades. Watching him demand that the reporter who talked us down be dragged back into the press room to attend his post-match epitomized that, as did him going over each player who contributed to staying up, outlining how they stood up and were counted.
Watching him soak in the love from the South Stand at the end of the game felt like that moment Poch was looking around the Lane at its final game, beaming with pride. Same look on their faces.
I'll probably never personally warm to the guy. But in a season of terrible decisions, he may have been the only good one.
