Tottenham went through three managers last season, with Thomas Frank dismissed less than eight months into his tenure following a dreadful opening to the campaign.
Caretaker boss Igor Tudor departed after only 44 days, before De Zerbi was appointed with seven matches left in the season.
Frank found it difficult to build a connection with Tottenham supporters and faced criticism for adopting an overly cautious style of play.
Van de Ven expects De Zerbi to improve the team’s football, with fresh arrivals and an entire pre-season giving him time to implement his ideas.
“I believe it will be very different from what we experienced under last season’s manager,” Van de Ven said.
“I expect us to have more possession and place greater emphasis on playing attractive football. It should also be more entertaining for the supporters because we intend to play with an attacking mindset.
“You can already tell that he [De Zerbi] has introduced tremendous passion to the squad, particularly in our mentality and the intensity we show on the field.
“That was exactly what we required because morale had been quite low.
“He generates plenty of positive energy, and having a full pre-season has allowed us to properly incorporate his footballing philosophy into the side. It has been a really enjoyable process.”
Earlier this month, Spurs set a new club transfer record on consecutive days. They initially recruited midfielder Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m, then completed a £100m move for Sandro Tonali from Newcastle.
Van de Ven’s Netherlands colleague Jan Paul van Hecke also arrived from Brighton in a £52m transfer, while experienced trio Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka joined on free deals.
“Honestly, the atmosphere within the squad is excellent,” Van de Ven added.
“Working with him [De Zerbi] has been a great experience. We have spent pre-season developing his approach, while the new arrivals have also been outstanding.
“They have settled into the squad extremely well.”
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