Roberto de Zerbi has used all the tools at his disposal to discover the missing spark in Tottenham Hotspur’s conflict, from an amateur psychologist to a team lunch, then a break in the sun in Marbella.
The answer, at least as Spurs finally moved off the bottom of the table with their first Premier League win this season against Coventry City, came in the form of James Maddison as he made his first start in 18 months.
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He missed most of last season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in pre-season, before fracturing his shoulder in the opening-weekend defeat of this campaign at Brentford.
The 29-year-old finally returned to Spurs starting line-up to face Coventry – and delivered them in spectacular style en route to a 3-1 victory that will give De Zerbi hope of finally getting relief for the season.
Maddison could barely keep a smile off his face as he warmed up, then made his mark in the 14th minute by showing what Spurs had failed to do brilliantly from a right-footed 20-yarder, Mohammed Kudus taking a first-time pass to keep out a sweeping strike beyond Coventry City keeper Carl Rushworth.
It was a moment of sweet relief for Maddison, the goal drawing huge gasps of surprise from Spurs supporters, as it was shown on the big screens several times in the stadium.
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Although the goal came against his former club, Maddison celebrated with his technique by shooting an imaginary dart before kissing the insignia on his shirt’s heel.
The significance of Maddison’s motivation is illustrated by the fact that he only won 57 Premier League games with a last-minute top-flight goal, in a 1-0 victory against Manchester United in February 2025. They scored less than a point a game from then on.
And since his last start, in Liverpool on April 27, 2025, Spurs have won only 11 out of 49 league games, losing 23.
The Spurs kids can’t believe this was a great victory. It was only their sixth win in the past 37 league games at home – drawing 10 and losing 21 – and just their fourth league victory overall in 2026, played 27, leading 10 and losing 13.
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And it was the first time the team scored three goals or more at home in the league since the opening day of last season, when they beat Burnley 3-0 in Thomas Frank’s first game in charge.
There are still many nerves around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and in De Zerbi’s team to calm down and relax.
The margin of victory was flattered somewhat, with Jack Rudoni equalizing for Coventry City before Omar Marmoush’s strike for the club’s first goal, then another from Ben Davies in stoppage time after a terrible Rushworth error finally allowed Spurs to enjoy a relief victory.
And there were other things to celebrate. As successful as Maddison’s return to the starting line-up, Dejan Kulusevski finally returned as an 87th minute substitute for Kudus after 526 days with a knee injury.
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Maddison got a well-deserved standing ovation when Conor Gallagher was substituted after 69 minutes, but Kulusevski’s reception was even more rapturous as he was finally brought on again after such a long battle to regain fitness.
It was Maddison, however, who drew the biggest applause after the power boost after the win proved as elusive as it was – his positive approach to playing with a smile on his face gave him a boost of confidence after such a dismal result.
He was trying to get the ball in, constantly probing and persuading, all before he was inevitably tired after the break.
“I spoke to the gaffer this weekend about it, feeling like it was time for me to get back into the starting XI after a bit of time off,” Maddison told Sky Sports.
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“I just want to play well and show my abilities, show what the team has missed in the last 18 months. The gaffer asked me to play and I wanted to enjoy the sidelines. I hope I did that, and the end is always nice.”
If it’s meant to show what the Spurs have been missing, this is mission complete.
With both Maddison and Kulusevski, Marmoush would gain confidence from the strike, another superb calamitous effort which gave Rushworth no chance.
De Zerbi will know this is just the start as they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening (17:30 BST).
He welcomed the return of Maddison and Kulusevski, saying: “They are different players, different talents, different personalities. There is a different atmosphere in the room with them.”
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These changes in the atmosphere in the worship room and beyond are the most successful.
Now De Zerbi and Spurs can finally actually build on the three points, and the sight of Maddison and Kulusevski in action will have Italy back as they hope to accelerate their improvement after the misery of recent seasons.