Every word Roberto De Zerbi said on Tottenham captaincy, Romero injury and Maddison return

football.london provides you with the full transcript from Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi's press conference ahead of Saturday's huge Premier League home match against Brighton

Roberto De Zerbi has addressed the media as Tottenham prepare to host his former club Brighton in the Premier League.

The match will be his first home fixture as Spurs boss and the Europa League winners are in desperate need of victory as they bid to fight their way to safety.

De Zerbi was asked about a variety of topics including Cuti Romero's reaction to his cruel knee injury, his dinner with the players, James Maddison's fitness plus his time in charge of Albion.

His answers are in our press conference transcript below.

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How is Romero?

Romero I’m really sorry for him, for his injury. Romero, first of all loves Tottenham and the people have to know he is suffering for this injury. He is suffering because he can’t play anymore for us this season but he is a great captain for us, for Tottenham.

But we have to be anyway positive. We have Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso. They are available to play, to play well, to give us quality with the ball and to be strong in the defensive phase. We can win anyway and we want to win anyway.

Have you been impressed with the reaction from the players in training?

I have to get to know the players better and better every week. It is much better. We have no time to lose. We have no time to understand the problems we have this season.

We have to be focused just on the next game and to transfer confidence. I can bring myself, I can bring my philosophy of football but also I’m working to create the good atmosphere, a good relationship with the players. I think in this moment of football, especially for Tottenham in this season, the qualities of the players are important but the spirit and the relationship between the players, the love the players put for the club is more important for sure.

You took the players out for dinner this week?

Yes I don’t know if we win the game for dinner but I know we eat very well and the food was amazing. And if we win, I’m ready to pay every week one dinner.

How beneficial was the dinner?

I believe in the people. I believe in the human relationship. I believe in the spirit. I believe in the soul of the players. Before we speak about tactical dispositions, style of play, defensive phase, with the ball, without the ball, set-pieces. All of these things are important but first of all I work with people with their problems.

There are a lot of players and we have to build and find in these last weeks the best relationship we can find and I want to see on the pitch players helping their team-mates and pushing everybody for one target and to achieve our big, big target for us. Because if we don’t achieve our target everybody will lose something in their career.

Team news?

Bentancur is available to play. I don’t know if he will start the game or not. Bissouma is available 100 per cent, more than the Sunderland game.

Vicario no. Vicario is another top guy and I’m looking forward to working with him. Anyway Kinksy played very well against Sunderland but Vicario is another important player for us. Big experience, big character, big personality and we are waiting for him.

What do you think of the work that Hurzeler and Brighton has done at the club and the way they play?

Fabian is a great coach, he's doing very well. I love Brighton, I love my former players. I'm grateful with Tony Bloom, with Paul Barber, with all players, all people working in this club, there are a lot of very, very good players, but Fabian is working very well and he's a credit for what they are doing.

Who will be captain for final six games?

Listen, I have to decide, I didn't decide yet because I have had other more important problems to find a solution.

But I would like all players to be a captain, especially in this moment, it's not important if you play in the first eleven, if you play 30 minutes or 90 minutes or you can't play, anyway we have to feel everyone the responsibility of this situation and we can't cry, otherwise we have to push and be stronger to come out of this situation because we are able to do that.

Tottenham seem to lack leaders, but James Maddison was training this week. How likely is it that he can play some part until the end of the season?

Yes, but there are a lot of different types to be a leader. A leader who talks inside of the dressing room, the leader with the ball, the leader in the tough moments, the leader because he helps the team-mates. To be a stronger team we need many, many leaders, for sure Maddison is different.

Maddison is a top player on the pitch with the ball, but also as a personality, as a character, as a mentality on the pitch, but I would like to reach this level for Micky van de Ven, for example, Bentancur is a leader, Palhinha is another leader, I would like to push with Solanke, because Solanke is one of the best strikers in the Premier League, and I want him stronger as a personality, as a character on the pitch.

But also Xavi Simons is very young, but he's a leader with the ball because he has personality, he has the right character to receive the ball when the ball is hot, because it's not so easy playing this moment for us, but we need players with personality and character, otherwise they don't play with me.

With Maddison, when do you think he will be able to play some minutes?I don't know, I don't know yet. I don't want to push too much because we lost Kudus in this way. I used to waiting the players when they are available, totally available to play and to restart the training. Because it's better to lose one game more than to take a risk for another new injury.

The situation is worse than last week by the table, how much does that point towards the mentality you are trying to build?

In my words, what I said last week was the focus is to win one game. I don't know if tomorrow we are able to win, I hope. I think we have the quality enough to win a game, but anyway we have to be stronger because the qualities of the players are bigger than all

the difficulties we are spending in this moment.

Do you think this might be a situation in which you just need to win one game and then everything can change and unblock the mentality of the talent?

Yes, I think it's crucial to win a game, not just for the table. One part for the table, for sure, but because we have to feel again what is nice to win a game and what they can do. Because I have no doubt about the qualities of the players.

When I watch the list of the squad, Bentancur, Bissouma, Palhinha, Xavi Simons, Kolo Muani, Richarlison, Van de Ven, I'm a lucky for that.

Now it's a tough moment, but to achieve the great target you have to pass through the difficulties.

You have to go through the difficulties, you have to get over the difficulties. There are maybe too many difficulties.

When you reflect on your time at Brighton, how did it help you evolve your career?

Brighton is a special place for me, like Marseille, because Marseille is finished in a different way, but anyway Brighton and Marseille for me are very close as emotions, as memories.

It was a magic place for me. It was a magic atmosphere with the players, the relationship with the players. They are a lot like my children, because the relationship is so close. Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross, Jason Steele, Adam Webster, Joel Veltman, Lewis Dunk. A lot of great memories, but I want to win tomorrow for sure.