Tottenham Hotspur fans have already witnessed Roberto De Zerbi keep his side afloat in the Premier League, admiring his fervour and the spark he brings to the club. Yet the full expression of De Zerbi’s football philosophy has yet to be seen on the pitch. This season, Spurs must be prepared to embrace the complete version of his ideas, and the starting point lies at the back line.
The player most likely to translate De Zerbi’s concepts into reality is Jan Paul van Hecke. The Dutch centre‑back arrived from Brighton for a £52 million fee not merely for his raw talent, but because he already understands the nuances of De Zerbi’s distinctive style. Understanding that style matters. De Zerbi’s brand of football is intricate, even for seasoned professionals.
Lewis Dunk, who partnered van Hecke at Brighton, confessed that he felt completely disoriented during the early weeks of De Zerbi’s tenure there. He recounted a conversation with Anatoliy Trubin – De Zerbi’s former goalkeeper at Shakhtar Donetsk – in which Trubin explained that the squad had to "unlearn" much of what they thought they knew about the game. "He introduced a completely new way of playing," Trubin told Sky Sports. Even a veteran like James Milner, who has worked under Terry Venables, Sir Bobby Robson, Manuel Pellegrini and Jürgen Klopp, admitted that De Zerbi offered something unprecedented.
Milner explained that the Italian manager helped him grasp "how a team functions and why it behaves the way it does" more clearly than any previous boss. "He wanted each player in a precise position and to time their movements perfectly," Milner said.
"Finding that free man and understanding the timing is something you may have done instinctively all your career, but De Zerbi makes you articulate it, giving you a deeper insight." The pre‑season has been a whirlwind for De Zerbi’s squad, especially for those tasked with orchestrating the build‑up. What appears as effortless, fluid football from defence to attack is actually the product of meticulously rehearsed patterns repeated countless times in training. The demands are strict. Trubin recalled a moment when he played a perfectly weighted pass, only to be reprimanded because it didn’t fit the prescribed method.
"He screams when something isn’t done the way we need it," Trubin remembered, "because he expects everyone to know their role and the single idea that drives the team." Timing is just as crucial as the movement itself. As Dunk explained, Brighton players were drilled on every possible scenario: where pressure would come from, how to shift the ball, and how to open passing lanes that would neutralise that pressure. This level of preparation underlines why van Hecke, now 26 and with more than a hundred Premier League appearances, is far more than a talented defender in his prime – he is a conduit for De Zerbi’s tactical blueprint. Adapting to the bravery required on the ball is not simple, but it is one of van Hecke’s strongest attributes.
In the previous Premier League campaign he finished second for the number of passes completed in open play and second for accurate switches of play, demonstrating both volume and precision. His forward‑looking passing, whether threading the ball through the centre or swinging it wide, has earned De Zerbi’s praise.
The manager highlighted the blend of confidence and audacity in van Hecke’s distribution, noting that the defender is never shy about attempting the difficult pass that splits the opposition’s lines. "He is a strong, intelligent centre‑back who is brave in possession and plays with personality," De Zerbi said upon signing him. "Those are exactly the qualities I need for the system I want to build." Yet the intrigue lies not only in his willingness to play the ball but also in how he positions himself to receive it. Statistically, van Hecke stands out even among the Premier League’s elite.
In terms of ball‑carrying, he is an outlier surpassing even the likes of Erling Haaland. Last season he carried the ball forward 597 times – more than any other defender and only a handful of outfield players such as Declan Rice, Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku matched those figures. When you filter for carries that were under pressure, Doku edged him out by a slim margin, which is understandable given that opponents are more likely to press a defender than a winger.
What truly sets van Hecke apart is the sheer volume of pressured carries: 315, a full 133 more than any other centre‑back in the league. Over the course of the season he covered 10.66 kilometres with the ball at his feet – roughly four kilometres more than any rival defender and twice the distance of everyone except England’s Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa.
For Tottenham supporters, the impact will be palpable. With players like Marcos Senesi also offering progressive passing, and van Hecke committing opponents in a way few defenders can, a new framework emerges that can navigate the three‑thirds of the pitch with ease.
After a season of protecting Spurs, De Zerbi’s brand of football is set to return, and van Hecke appears to be the key to unlocking it.