Roberto De Zerbi on turning Spurs' difficult season around | "We are playing well"
De Zerbi on Spurs' struggles: We are playing well but must pressure ourselves and change our mentality
In a Sky Sports News interview, Roberto De Zerbi discusses Tottenham's difficult run, injuries, the league table and the upcoming game at Manchester United. He says the quality is there and the team is playing well, but they must defend better, react in tough moments and put pressure on themselves to turn the season around.
- The break was not a real holiday because the team had just lost, so his focus stayed on work and solving the team's problems. — It was a tough three weeks; he needed to understand the problems, find solutions and have things clear for the coming weeks.
- Spurs are not playing badly; the problem is not the quality of the players or the play, but the team has not yet shown its full quality and must make a click. — The table is not good, but his confidence in the players is high because they are good players who have not yet shown all their qualities.
- Spurs are not playing badly; they just need to score, as in the home games against Everton and Villa. — The performance is not the issue; the missing piece is the goal.
- That is not true; Spurs must score, but they also must defend better and become stronger in the tough moments of games. — Football is like life, with many moments in 90 minutes, so the team must react and find a balance between good and bad moments.
- There is no pressure at Tottenham in the way people say; the real need is for everyone to put pressure on themselves. — The fans are amazing and the club does not put pressure on the players or the coach, but what the team has done and is doing is not enough.
- He does not look at the league table now and will only look in April or May. — Looking now only makes him suffer; he knows very well where the team is, but he prefers to focus on work and improvement.
- This is a long-term project for him at Tottenham, and he accepts the bad times as well as the good ones. — He knew where he was going when he signed; the club's problems existed long before him, not just for one or two games, but he believes the team has the potential and quality to change everything.
- Being Tottenham head coach is a big challenge because the task is to change the recent history of the club. — At other clubs you can win more games or maybe titles, but Tottenham's last three, four or five years have not been good, so changing that history is the challenge.
- Time is important, but he does not ask for time; he asks the players to change completely with love and respect, changing the mentality, spirit and perspective. — There has been so much change that the true Tottenham side will take time to see, but the change must start now.
- Spurs must keep their ambition but be honest about the situation: they are not ready to fight for more than they currently are, though they can change quickly and make the click. — When you sign for Tottenham, you must take responsibility and face the situation.
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Transcript
Roberto, I know you didn't have a a summer break. Did you have an opportunity to have a mini holiday these last few weeks? >> Well, yes, but uh the holiday after one defeat are not holidays. Uh and the the the focus stay on the on the work on the job on the problems to to solve our problems. Um It was tough. Was uh they were three weeks very tough. >> What have your family been like? Roberto, stop. Stop. [laughter] >> No, no. The problem was was to to to you know to to understand the problems to to find the solutions to u to have everything clear for the for for the the new weeks. But is it good for you maybe to to recharge now? Batteries recharged because so many new signings, so many departures. So maybe a good thing for a break. >> I don't know if it was good or not. Uh we have to accept the the the schedule. Uh I looking forward to play the next game in Manchester. Uh we have to to react. We have to to change uh spirit. I think we are playing well is it's not na nice to her we are playing well uh considering the table but uh the problem is not the quality of the players the quality of the play we we have to make a click because uh my confidence is the player is very high. We have good players but we are not able yet to show all our qualities. >> But then you're not playing bad are you? You just I know it sounds silly but you just need to score like Everton at home. Villa at home. >> No no no it's not true. We we we have to score but we have to defend better. We have to become stronger in the tough moment during the game >> because football is like life. There are uh many many situation in uh in the 90 minute. In the 90 minute you have to react uh and to and to find the balance uh between the right moment and the bad moment. >> People talk about pressure in the job of Tottenham Hotspur but do you feel that you have earned the opportunity the right to get this right because you kept this club in the Premier League last season? Which pressure >> when people say about they need to win games, they need to win fast, they need to win now and you know the pressure of being a Tottenham manager. >> No, there is not any pressure in Tottenham. >> No, >> because the fans in the stadium are amazing like last season in the last uh games in my time. They were fantastic. They deserve to stay up. They helped us to to to give something more. uh the club is they don't uh put pressure to the players to the coach and from to me um there are not pressure we we have to put pressure uh [snorts] we have to put individual pressure everyone of us we we we need pressure because uh what we have done what we are doing is not enough. How difficult has it been for you to have to control the injured players like Kudus Madison? You know, you've had Javy in injured for a long time. How difficult has that been for you when you've had to work with your medical team? >> Well, no, it's not it's not uh tough because um we have a great medical staff this season. We have not any problem about that. We have to accept the injury but football especially with the the new schedule. No, because now national break four games in a row in two weeks, four games. Now we play Mickey van four games in a row. Robertson four games in a row. Betangour three games. But in the other part of completely in another part of the world and we have to organize we have to find a balance to to understand before the problems uh arrive. When do you look at the league table? >> I don't look. >> You don't? >> No. >> Never. >> No. Um, April, May. You never look. April, May. It's too early now. >> No. No. I never look because I suffer if I look the the the table is uh I know very well where where we are. I'm not stupid. But um I prefer to keep u the focus on the work on the improvement we have to do. >> You did great work at all your clubs, previous work. Do you feel in your heart this is a long-term project for [snorts] you at this football club? I think so because when I sign I knew where uh where I where I was uh going and uh the problem of this club because also before me uh the situation was not good from a long time not one game or two game before me but I accepted and I stay in the the bad time in the good time. Now is a bad time, very bad time. But uh also I think we have the the potential and the qualities to change everything. >> And do do you love being the Tottenham head coach? Do you love it? >> No, I I listened to um is very is a big challenge. No, because uh okay in another club you can win more games, you can uh maybe win uh titles but uh the challenge here is to change the last part of the history of this club because in the last three, four, five years was not good. >> Do you think it might take some time because there has been so much change to see your true Tottenham Hotsour side? But for sure the time is important but I don't ask time. Uh I I ask to the players to change uh with me with love with uh respect with uh everything to change uh completely the the mentality to to the the the spirit the the prospective no >> and it's still very early in the league. Is your ambition still the same to try and get Tottenham into those European places or have you seen maybe lately that it might be a bit more difficult? >> But when you sign for Tottenham, you have to take responsibility. You have to make the face on the table. You have to make the face and you have to make the balls on the table and uh you can't uh uh think to to to fight for the delegation. No, >> you have to keep the ambition. But anyway, you have to be honest with you with the situation. Now we are not ready to fight uh for nothing more than uh than we are. And then I think very quickly we can uh we can change and we can uh we can make the click. >> Are you excited about the Manchester United game? I I got that feeling. You're you're pumped. You're ready for this match? >> Yes, it's three weeks I'm I'm thinking on this this game. >> Yeah, it's a special game, isn't it? Manchester United Tottenham, Manchester United, Tottenham is all uh uh [snorts] kids >> Yeah. >> would like to play uh this game. No. >> And if it's a positive result, will we see a animated >> Yeah. >> down the touch line? >> Yeah, maybe. >> Yeah. All right. Look forward to it. Look, good luck tomorrow. Thank you.