THE LAB | Spurs’ Lost Season: Leadership, Recruitment and the Road Back

The Fighting Cock (Tottenham Hotspur Podcast)

The Fighting Cock

News, Sports News, Football, Sports, Soccer

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2026

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We’re joined on The Lab by Kish from Lilywhite Lab to dig into what has gone wrong at Tottenham this season, and whether Roberto De Zerbi can be the man to fix it. We discuss the importance of player buy-in, why Thomas Frank’s approach never fully convinced the squad, and how Spurs’ lack of midfield control became the defining tactical problem of the season. There’s also a deep dive into the signings of João Palhinha and Conor Gallagher, the imbalance of the squad, the short-lived Igor Tudor experiment, and the wider questions around leadership, recruitment and culture at the club. We also look at De Zerbi’s arrival, his reputation for improving players, and why his coaching could be exactly what Tottenham’s young squad needs, even if the timing could hardly be more chaotic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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