View: De Zerbi must be at Tottenham drawing board to find solution to clear Aston Villa hurdle

Roberto De Zerbi will know that every game for Tottenham Hotspur at the moment is a cup final and that begins with Aston Villa.

Spurs are in a precarious position, sitting two points behind West Ham, who are in 17th place. Relegation is a reality that is facing the Lilywhites.

The margin for error has simply disappeared, and the N17 outfit cannot afford to let any more points slip away.

De Zerbi will be drilling that into his side’s head, but fight and character have not been common themes this season.

However, De Zerbi’s record against Aston Villa also does not provide much hope, and he will have to overcome his woes to keep Tottenham in the Premier League.

What is Roberto De Zerbi’s record vs Aston Villa?

On Sunday night, Tottenham will have plenty of pressure on them as they could have the chance to go above, go level or keep up with West Ham.

Spurs’ late kick-off comes after the Hammers have already played, and the players will know what is expected of them to keep their survival chances alive.

De Zerbi has faced Aston Villa on four occasions, and the Italian has only managed one win. In the other three fixtures, he has lost.

Additionally, in that period, the Tottenham boss has been on the end of a 6-1 defeat to Unai Emery.

All in all, it is not a great omen for Spurs as they prepare to try and keep themselves in the Premier League this season.

De Zerbi will have to come up with a solution he has not often been able to find, and he must do so with an injury-stricken squad.

While Aston Villa’s European exploits could have handed Tottenham a boost, Emery has not often rotated this season, and it seems that is unlikely to change.

Where can Tottenham punish Aston Villa?

Tottenham will have to put plenty of focus down Aston Villa’s left-hand side, with that wide area being a common point of weakness.

While 68 per cent of shots conceded by Aston Villa come down the middle of the pitch, the Birmingham club is placed third for being open on the left side, according to Whoscored.

19 per cent of shots against the Villans have come from that area of the pitch. Tottenham are without the injured Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mohammed Kudus.

So ultimately, it may come down to how well Mathys Tel can perform, with the young Frenchman the obvious candidate to play.

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