Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Wed 15 April 2026 17:40, UK

Roberto De Zerbi badly needs Lucas Bergvall fit and firing for Tottenham Hotspur.

The only problem, though, is that the young midfielder clearly needs more time, when time is hardly plentiful. With just six matches remaining, Spurs are two points adrift of safety. The odds of them slipping into the Championship are growing by the second.

As if De Zerbi isn’t already up against it in this relegation fight. He has inherited a squad battered and bruised, and desperately low on confidence. They are sterile when creating chances and leaky at the other end, a toxic combination, while injuries have hardly helped.

Cristian Romero will miss the end of the campaign due to a ligament issue sustained at Sunderland, a blow which highlighted the growing sense of inevitability at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Bergvall has only just returned from a lengthy injury lay-off.

De Zerbi can’t afford Spurs’ most reliable players to drop their levels, but Bergvall was bitterly disappointing during the 1-0 loss at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Lucas Bergvall not up to speed at Tottenham

De Zerbi eventually hooked the Swede after a woeful 61-minute outing. He was surprisingly poor when compared to his usual outstanding performances this season.

This was despite the Italian working closely with him during his first training sessions at the club. Bergvall is known to have enjoyed these drills, understanding that he would be given a crucial role in this brave new era. The only trouble is that he doesn’t quite seem ready for it.

While Bergvall impressed for Sweden during the international break, he understandably appeared to return to club duties short on sharpness. He looked a yard off the space and at least a second behind Sunderland’s midfielders, who controlled the show with impunity.

De Zerbi will be worried. Bergvall is so often the focal point of Spurs’ midfield, acting as the main connection between defence and attack. But he is no glorified water carrier. Instead, he makes sure Tottenham tick, and when his level drops, so does theirs.

It was concerning, then, that he offered next to nothing on Wearside.

According to Sofascore, Bergvall registered a pass accuracy of just 70 per cent, made a whole lot worse when taking into account that he attempted only 10 passes before being replaced. The youngster was also errant with his dribbling, losing the ball twice.

Worryingly, Bergvall lost all 12 of his duels, with a zero per cent success rate from the 11 on the ground. It was telling that he committed the most fouls of any Spurs player before he was hooked. De Zerbi’s tactics rely heavily on physicality, but the talent had none of it.

“I saw Bergvall,” said Troy Deeney on TikTok. “People have been telling me he’s good for the past two years, he was touch-tackling everything. Everything that came near him, he was touch-tackling.” While over the top, these comments underline Spurs’ dilemma over Bergvall.

It was a quite staggering drop-off from his heroics before his injury.

Bergvall is technically gifted and has wriggled out of tight spaces time and again since arriving at Tottenham back in July 2024. His work off the ball cannot be understated either. Spurs badly rely on his determination and work ethic, and De Zerbi will too.

But what happens if he doesn’t get back to his best before the end of the season?

Tottenham must follow Bergvall example

There is a reason why Bergvall so quickly endeared himself at his former club, Djurgarden. He was electric despite his tender age, and both Tottenham and Barcelona made their move at the same time, culminating in an intriguing and eye-opening tug-of-war.

In the week before he turned 18, Bergvall was put on private jets and ferried between Barcelona and London. Both clubs made their sales pitches, desperate for him to snub the other. He was whisked to lavish restaurants and doggedly pursued by paparazzi.

These were scenes more suitable to a Christopher Nolan thriller, but they also proved that Bergvall had announced himself to the world. There could be no hiding; no shirking away from the spotlight. For some players, that is too much, but for him, it confirmed his talent.

All this for a youngster who had made fewer than 60 senior appearances.

Right from the very first minute, Bergvall embodied the humility and desire that must be hallmarks under De Zerbi. He was invited to Spurs’ training ground to meet Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou, and as he was driven in, he was impressed with the pitches.

He couldn’t wait to play on them, Bergvall said. It was only then that he was informed they were for the academy teams. He wasn’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.

In the end, Spurs outmuscled Barcelona. Bergvall chose them, and after taking time to find his feet, he now looks at home in the Premier League. He looks like a completely different player from the one given a rollocking by Guglielmo Vicario on his first appearance.

Then, he had been overawed by the speed and sheer brutality of the Premier League. He mistimed his challenges, lunging in and wiping out his opponents, and his passes lacked the necessary weight. Now, however, he is one of the top-flight’s classiest midfielders.

His statistics prove it. In his 19 appearances in the league this season, he has scored one goal and registered two assists. Bergvall has also completed an average of 12.5 passes per game, with an 82 per cent success rate, and takes roughly 24.5 touches every 90 minutes.

Defensively, he makes 1.1 tackles and 1.9 recoveries per game, while his impressive 64 per cent dribble success rate has allowed him to bring the ball out of danger.

Clearly, then, De Zerbi will hope to lean on him as he looks to steer Tottenham to safety, but Bergvall will require patience when there simply isn’t room for it.

When it rains in N17, it truly does pour.