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Roberto De Zerbi has identified one major reason why Tottenham are struggling to play to their potential on the pitch, but he remains positive that the club can get out of the mess.
Tottenham’s chances of relegation have been steadily going up over recent weeks, and perhaps for the first time now, many may consider the Lilywhites favourites to go down.
Spurs will spend the next week in the relegation zone after they lost 1-0 to Sunderland in De Zerbi’s first game in charge, after seeing rivals, West Ham, thrash Wolves 4-0 on Friday.
Tottenham now have just six league matches to avoid disaster, and their new head coach has now made an admission about the feeling in the dressing room.
Roberto De Zerbi admits Tottenham players are suffering
De Zerbi confessed that the Spurs players are struggling to play to their potential due to the pressure of the relegation battle.
The Italian revealed that his players are hurting to see the club near the bottom of the table, and admitted that they have to stay strong mentally during the relegation battle.
When asked if he is concerned about the mental and psychological impact on his squad after Spurs dropped into the relegation zone, De Zerbi told Football.London: “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.”
When asked directly if he thinks fear of relegation is the big problem, the Tottenham boss responded: “I think so.”
De Zerbi says everything will change after Spurs win
The former Brighton boss is remaining positive despite the perilous situation the Lilywhites find themselves in.
He admitted that the target now for Tottenham is just one game, suggesting that a positive result will change the mentality of the players.
When asked how Spurs players can overcome the fear of relegation, De Zerbi responded: “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.”
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