Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur head coach said after the pre-season victory in New Zealand against Auckland FC
Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi had plenty to say at his press conference following the 2-0 pre-season win against Auckland FC in New Zealand.
In front of a stadium packed with 40,112 fans, the biggest crowd for a men's football game in New Zealand's history, the Spurs boss selected a young starting line-up, captained by Archie Gray, against the A-League champions. He then brought on senior players in the final half hour as De Zerbi mostly looked to wrap his stars up in cotton wool, with some having just returned from their post-World Cup breaks.
Spurs opened the scoring 12 minutes into Sunday's game when a perfect curling pass from Gray found Manor Solomon's run into the Auckland box. Although the winger's shot was saved, Dane Scarlett was on hand to fire in the rebound.
With the experienced players coming on at the hour mark Richarlison fired home after a dangerous run from Mathys Tel to the byline before pulling it back for the Brazilian to fire home.
Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to De Zerbi after the match. Here's the full transcript from the press conference including a big claim from the head coach about what the owners want to do to the club in this transfer window.
You started off with a lot of young players, any of them in particular impress you?
Yes, we played seriously, first of all, because when we play for this club or when we work for this club, we have to work in the best way we can.
The young players, they played very, very well, especially in the first half, with a clear idea, with the right spirit, with the right qualities as well.
In the second half, we played 30 minutes with the older players, the players of the first team, Mateus Fernandes, Gallagher, Ben Davies, Richarlison, Mathys Tel. We didn't suffer any injuries, and that's big news, important news, especially for the beginning of the season. So now we go to Australia and we follow our pre-season.
One player that I haven't seen doing too much around the team is James Maddison. Has he got any little problems?
He's not working the last five days, I think, like Udogie, but they have not a big problem, just to stay focused, don't take any risks. For the next game, the next friendly game against Sydney maybe we play with Tonali, with other players, maybe, we've got to see.
The fans are excited about Luca Williams-Barnett. He's only 17-years-old, but what's he got to do to get to the level he wants to be at?
Luca is a big talent, very young, big talent. Malachi [Hardy] is another good player for the future of the club. We can't forget the young players, especially for the new rules, the financial fair play, or the rules of the Champions League, Europa League.
And then we have to improve our academy. We have to help them produce more players, because we need it and it's important for the club.
FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
How important is it for young players to look at someone like Archie Gray, even though he's still young, to see how to act as a senior professional player?
Yes, Archie is young, but he's an old player, as a mentality, as a performance, as an experience, as a career. But the young players have to push, because with me as a coach, they have the chance to play. Logically, they have to show me they are ready, they have qualities, they have a mentality to play in this club. But when I decide the players, when I decide the squad, I never see the age of the players. I just analyse the qualities and the potential of these players.
You said before about Gray finding his perfect position. With Porro and Spence coming back late after the World Cup, he could play as a right-back in the weeks ahead, where do you see him playing?
It's lucky for me when you have these type of players who are able to play in different positions. Okay, it's important for him to fix one position, one favourite position but at the end, he has to be open to cover different positions on the pitch. He can play as a right back, as a left back, as a midfielder. Nothing changes for smart players.
A smart player, I think, is improving in the knowledge on the pitch, because changing position, you change body shape, you change direction when you receive the ball and when you give the ball. But he's an important player for me, even if he can play in different positions.
Mikey Moore is a big talent from the academy. Where do you see his future heading into next season? Do you see him as part of the group?
We have to see. We have to analyse the last part of the transfer market, because we try to bring wingers, and then we speak with him, with his agent, with the club, to find the best solution for everyone.
What did you think of Auckland FC today?
They have a clear idea with the ball. I know football is not the most important sport in New Zealand. I spoke before the game with the coach, and he told me many players for the World Cup, they weren't [here] today. It's a great experience for us.
Unfortunately we can't stay more days in this country, because of the atmosphere in this country, the culture is great for us. We come from another country, another world. It would be a great experience for us to stay more time.
What did you think of the occasion, especially that there was a record crowd for a men's football match here and all the interest in Spurs in New Zealand?
We are happy because when we go to this country to play friendly games, it's an important part of our job. Because we are a great club, a big club, and we are very happy when the people in other countries are so close to us. Tottenham is not just for the UK, it's for all parts of the world and for that we wanted to play well, seriously, to make our fans happy in other countries.
How are you feeling about the next two or three weeks?
First of all, we don't want to take any risk of potential injuries. We have to improve the physical condition, because we need running to play football.
We have to be stronger, we have to work on the knowledge of the play, the style of play we put inside the new players, because we have very important new players.
We have to finish the window of this transfer market, because it's not finished yet, our transfer market. I think we can be happier at the end of this transfer market, because I spoke a lot of time with the owners, with the board, and they want to build a very strong team for this season for sure, but to make the base for the future to become great again.
You're here for a short time, but did you do anything in particular? Did you meet some fans? Did you find an Italian restaurant?
No, just work and sleep, trying to sleep, because I am suffering a lot from the jet lag. No restaurant, no nothing. Just to prepare the guys to play in the best way we can, and try to sleep something more than three or four hours.