Every word Roberto De Zerbi said on why Xavi Simons came on so late and Cristian Romero injury

Here's every single word the new Tottenham boss said after his debut defeat against Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday

Roberto De Zerbi gave a few updates in his press conference after his debut defeat in the dugout for Tottenham with their 1-0 loss at Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams had chances in the first half with Brian Brobbey and Dominic Solanke denied by close range saves at different ends of the pitch. Sunderland took the lead though in the 61st minute after Nordi Mukiele drifted inside from the right and hit a shot that deflected off Micky van de Ven and sailed into the net with Antonin Kinsky wrong-footed.

Spurs then lost their captain Cristian Romero after the centre-back was pushed into Kinsky by Brobbey. The skipper left the pitch in tears perhaps fearing for his involvement in Tottenham's relegation battle and the World Cup this summer. The visitors could not find a way back into the game despite 12 minutes of added time after the treatment required by Romero and Kinsky.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to De Zerbi after the club's long winless league run reached 14 matches. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at the Stadium of Light.

What's the latest with Cristian Romero?

We don't yet. We have to see the next days. I hope for us it's not important a problem because he's a crucial player for us. A good guy, top player, big personality and we need him to finish the season and to achieve our goal.

Was it his knee?

Maybe yes but I don’t want to say nothing until we know more.

What do you think of the match as a whole?

I think we played a good game, especially in the first half, with order, with the ball, without the ball. We had three clear chances to score, one with Solanke, one with Richarlison, another with Bergvall. We played well, but we didn't play well enough to win the game, because in the second half we suffered too much. To Sunderland we lost 20-30 metres of the pitch.

We had another important chance with Richarlison, just two minutes before conceding a goal. We can play better, we can do something more, as energy, as passion on the pitch, with more enthusiasm. Yes, but now we are in a difficult moment and I would like to help the players to show what they can do on the pitch.

Because we played a good game, but we can play much better than today. Just it. My job is not now to change the style of play. I did two or three things with the ball, two or three things without the ball, but the crucial part is not with the ball or without the ball.

It's in our mentality to be positive, but to be positive just because we have the quality enough to win a game and when we go to win a game, we can change everything.

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You needed to score a goal but you didn't bring on Xavi until the very end of the game...

Yes, why? Why? Because I changed three players, then after Romero's injury there was on the pitch Kolo Muani and Udogie. I didn't know when Udogie could finish, the energy to play, just for it. Without Romero's injury, Xavi would have come on before.

You mentioned the mentality that the team needs, they're in the relegation zone now. Are you concerned about the impact that could have on them mentally and psychologically?

You can see it during the game. First of all, the players of Tottenham are all good guys, and they are suffering for this moment. They are not happy when we lose the game or they are not happy to see Tottenham at the bottom of the table, for sure. But we have to find the energy, we have to find the right spirit to be positive, to think during the week when they stay with me. For sure, they will see a positive coach because I believe in their qualities.

Because we are Tottenham, but we have not (got the right) to win the game just because we are Tottenham. You can't win the game with the paper. You have to win the game showing the quality on the pitch, the fighting on the pitch.

You have to score the goal, and you have not to concede the goal, for sure. But they are human, and they are suffering maybe too much and altogether we have to stay close, to be positive, to work, to improve in the details, in the football, but to be better as a mentality.

You have worked a lot in training, but today was the first game, have you learnt anything new?

No, I would like to... You know me as a coach, but one very important part for me, for my style of being a coach, is the mental part, is to transfer the confidence of the players, to give them what they need in terms of mentality, in terms of confidence.

And for that I said we could play better because during the week they play better because they are clear with their head, and during the game it's different for sure.

And my work is to help them to show what they do during the week, on the game, during the game.

Do you feel like the fear of relegation itself is the problem?

I think so.

How can you change that?

If you ask me, I am 46 years old, I have much (more) experience than the players and I am positive absolutely because I know them as a guy and as players.

And for that, I am positive. Not because we are Tottenham or because I have to do positive. No. They have the quality enough to win one game and the target now, the closer target is to win one game because if we win a game we can see everything in a different way.