Roberto De Zerbi held his cards close to his chest following Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.
Roberto De Zerbi raised eyebrows when he was asked whether Jayden Bogle should have been sent off during Tottenham Hotspur's disappointing 1-0 defeat to Leeds United.
Towards the end of the first half at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon, Bogle planted his studs on the ankle of Mathys Tel. John Brooks chose not to brandish a yellow card, but Tony Harrington and his assistant, Matt Wilkes, at Stockley Park quickly intervened to review the incident for a possible red card.
After four minutes, the Video Assistant Referee cleared Bogle of any wrongdoing. Harrington said: "I'm confirming the on-field decision of no red card. There’s a lack of speed going into the challenge, and he’s stepping into the tackle. Confirming a reckless challenge."
Tel soldiered on, but he was later forced to come off. Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, De Zerbi was quizzed on the incident, batting away any suggestion that the Video Assistant Referee should have instructed Brooks to visit the pitchside monitor.
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"In the first situation of Mathys Tel, I didn't see; I can't say anything," began the Tottenham boss. Then, when pressed on the matter, he added: "I have big confidence in the referee.
"Nothing changes if he watches the clip or not. There was VAR, and if they didn’t take the right decision, I don’t know. We have confidence. We have to keep eyes on the performances and where we can improve."
De Zerbi apologised to supporters for the result. He said: "In the second half, we lost all the duels, we didn't play like we can. It's a journey for us because we can learn from this game.
"This game is another sport than other games we have done because their defensive phase was different than the other games. But anyway, there was the solution, there was the space, there was the way to attack and to play better and to defend better the ball.
"I'm sorry for the result, but first of all I'm sorry for the performance in the second half. We didn't play like a top team, we played without the right spirit, the right character, the right physicality in the duels.
"In the first half, I think we created two free chances to score. In the second half, I think it was the same game; nothing changed. There was the situation, the right spaces to play and to find the solution."
Tottenham are not back in action until Saturday, November 21, when they host Ipswich Town. De Zerbi said: "The international break for us is tough to accept, especially after good games in a row.
"But it's part of the journey. The most important thing is to understand why we didn't play well in the second half and how we can improve. But it's just a mental aspect."