Roberto De Zerbi uses new Tottenham tactic that will terrify relegation rivals

Roberto De Zerbi has made a good impression since taking the reins at Tottenham Hotspur, but he's still yet to win a game.

Tottenham Hotspur have already shown signs of great improvement under Roberto De Zerbi. The Lilywhites were just seconds away from clinching their first Premier League win of the year when they faced Brighton on Saturday afternoon, conceding an equaliser in the dying embers of stoppage time.

Despite the disappointing result, Spurs took a step in the right direction as they look to avoid relegation from the English top-flight. De Zerbi has been in charge for only a few weeks, yet he's already implemented some of his core principles.

Speaking on Match of the Day, Joe Hart explained how the Italian has prepared Tottenham for a relegation battle that could be decided on the final day of the season. The Manchester City legend was just as impressed with how De Zerbi managed to lift fans from their seats as he was with his tactics.

Hart said: "He has identified what he doesn’t want to see, but what he wanted to see was to get that stadium rocking. The way that they pressed was really good, really impressive in fact.

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"It is not the Spurs we have been used to; it is not the Spurs we have seen this season. He wanted to set the atmosphere: every single one of his players is running forward, running forward with intent, blocking passing lanes, and requiring Brighton to be perfect, and they're not giving up.

"It was a relentless press from Tottenham, and they're eventually going to have a lot of success from it. It's so aggressive. It's the passing lanes. It's the second press. It's the passing once they turn it over. It's a real threat, and that's where the first goal comes from."

Hart believes De Zerbi, who worked with many of the Brighton players that Tottenham faced at the weekend, used what he learned from his spell at the Amex Stadium to his advantage. The former England international continued: "I feel like De Zerbi knew he could really get at Brighton with his previous (experience), working with some of these players.

"You have got Bart Verbruggen, you have got [Jan Paul] van Hecke, and you’ve also got [Pascal] Gross as well. He knows that, if you can block those passing lanes, Verbruggen will dither.

"You can catch him. You can turn it over, you can get easy wins, and you can score big goals. I feel like be really played on that today, and it was a great example of the top work Tottenham did."

Xavi Simons fired Tottenham into the lead in the second half, shortly after a calculated press paid dividends. Lucas Bergvall dispossessed Van Hecke, who found himself swarmed by Spurs players just moments after receiving the ball in – what seemed like – acres of space.

If Tottenham can continue in the same vein, they'll strike fear into West Ham as the race for survival build a head of steam. Nevertheless, speaking to reporters after the game, De Zerbi reflected on what 'felt like a defeat'.

The Italian said: "Brighton is a very good team. In this moment, they are playing very well, but I think we deserve to win the game, especially if you consider we conceded a goal in extra time when losing one ball in our possession.

"Anyway, I'm very proud for the performance of my players. I'm very proud because they gave, all of them, their best, with the right mentality, with the right blood, with the right character.

"We played well with the ball. We played maybe better in the first half without the ball, because in the second half we suffered too much with the ball possession, but in the first half, we regained a lot of ball.

"When we scored with Pedro Porro, we regained the ball very high, and I'm disappointed just for the result, for my players and for the fans, because it was an incredible atmosphere today.

"In a very tough situation, a very difficult moment, but the stadium was great. It was amazing."