De Zerbi took charge of a Tottenham side that was struggling for form, confidence and with a number of key players injured.
But he has already instilled in his team a series of principles that reflect what he has done in previous positions, although adapting them to the quality of his players.
Spurs play short from their goalkeeper, but are more willing to go far for a target like Richarlison than De Zerbi’s Brighton.
Given the impressive physicality of the Spurs team, using high pressing as a method of creating opportunities has also been smart.
Tudor appeared to take a similar, if less coordinated, approach out of possession, but De Zerbi built on that: he did not defend man-to-man all over the pitch, but instead asked his team to choose moments in which to win the ball back.
However, none of these tactics are possible without a team that believes in the message the coach is conveying.
In his press conferences so far, De Zerbi has focused on one idea: that Spurs must believe in themselves and get rid of any negativity if they want to be a Premier League team next season.
His performance against Villa will no doubt have helped.
