Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi faced sharp criticism from 1998 World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry following a 0-0 draw against Everton in the Premier League. According to reports from French outlets, Dugarry blasted the Italian coach on RMC Sport over his lucrative five-year contract and recent post-match comments regarding his squad’s previous performances.
Dugarry blasts De Zerbi after Everton stalemate
A turbulent start in the Premier League
The controversy surrounds Tottenham’s difficult start to the Premier League campaign. Through the opening four matches of the season, the London club sits in seventeenth place with just two points and zero goals scored. The slow start follows a transfer window featuring approximately 370 million euros in spending, compounding frustration after two seasons in a row which ended in 17th position.
Defending the clean sheets
Following the scoreless stalemate against Everton, De Zerbi defended his team’s defensive progress in remarks that drew widespread attention. “In Italy, with 2 clean sheets in the last 2 matches, I would be the best coach in the world. No? What would the Gazzetta dello Sport write? Two clean sheets,” De Zerbi stated, according to match reports. “I arrived last season, the shit was at this level. It was shit. Now let me explain, I’m sorry for the results, but today we played as a team. Today and against Nottingham.”
The French pundit takes aim
Those comments did not sit well with Dugarry, who launched a scathing assessment of the manager’s tenure and compensation during an appearance on RMC Sport. “He signed for five years, the robbery he does, without the hood. It’s crazy stuff! And there, it’s every week in England that they pay you so you can go there. It’s magnificent what he does,” Dugarry remarked. The former France international questioned De Zerbi’s overall coaching pedigree at the elite level, noting doubts about whether the Italian has justified his reputation at major clubs following previous stints at Brighton and Sassuolo.
Questions over managerial conduct
“The statements he made about some people, about others, this gentleman is totally out of line. It’s astonishing to have so little lucidity about what you’re saying. Is there no one around him who will tell him: ‘Shut up!’? He is totally perched,” Dugarry added.
The harsh critique from Dugarry contrasts with his recent evaluations of De Zerbi’s managerial work at Olympique de Marseille, where the pundit acknowledged an improvement in style and calm demeanor after earlier criticisms during the coach’s tenure in France.
Tottenham Hotspur returns to Premier League action as the club looks to secure its first victory and first goal of the season under mounting pressure.
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