Roberto De Zerbi has disclosed a stringent ban on mobile phone usage during mealtimes as Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season camp in Marbella intensifies its focus on team cohesion. The Italian manager admitted that the constant connectivity of modern football was hindering natural interaction among the squad, prompting a decisive move to force players to engage face-to-face. “We worked on the pitch, we stayed together – we removed phones from breakfast, lunch and dinner to stay together because now it is like (phone) all the time,” De Zerbi explained during a press conference, highlighting his determination to rebuild the locker room’s cultural fabric.
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This tactical shift in camp discipline comes at a critical juncture for the North London club, which has invested over £380 million in ten new signings this summer. Despite this historic financial outlay, Tottenham enters Monday’s home fixture against Coventry City sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table. The stark contrast between the massive summer spending and the current league position underscores the urgency behind De Zerbi’s efforts to instill a winning mentality and immediate on-pitch unity before the competitive season truly begins.
The ban serves as a symbolic gesture of De Zerbi’s broader strategy to find “all solutions” to the squad’s current struggles, moving beyond tactical drills to address the psychological and social dynamics of the group. By eliminating digital distractions during communal meals, the manager aims to accelerate the bonding process among the new arrivals and established stars. This holistic approach suggests that De Zerbi views the current on-field results as a symptom of deeper integration issues, believing that a tighter-knit squad is the prerequisite for translating their significant summer investment into Premier League success.
Source: The Independent Sport
