Tottenham's dire run continued on Sunday as Roberto De Zerbi lost his first game in charge at Sunderland with defender Micky van de Ven making a damning assessment
Micky van de Ven admits Tottenham are in a rut and snapping their losing run is going to prove a mental challenge after they were beaten again.
The north Londoners slipped into the bottom three on Friday night after West Ham hammered Wolves. They had the chance to respond on Sunday when they headed to Sunderland, embarking on a new era with Roberto De Zerbi at the helm.
But Tottenham's wait for a Premier League win in 2026 continued as the Black Cats won 1-0 courtesy of a deflected effort. It means Tottenham have lost seven of their last eight as the reality of a season in the Championship edges ever closer.
Van de Ven, who was a Europa League winner with Tottenham last year and would court attention from some of England's top sides, admits the losing run has taken a psychological toll and it won't be easy to get out of it.
He told Sky Sports: “I don't even think we played a bad game today, we created some opportunities to score and they didn't create much. That is the moment we are in, everything doesn't fall on our sides. At the final whistle, it's really tough.
“Mentally, it's tough. We have been suffering for the last few months when we don't get wins in the Premier League and keep struggling. We need to get the confidence back. It's really tough, we need to make sure we find this back.”
De Zerbi has come in on a hugely lucrative deal, becoming Tottenham's third manager of the season. He enjoyed a stellar reputation at Brighton, which saw him land plenty of plaudits. His style impressed, but Van de Ven knows that it is results, not performances, that will ultimately keep them in the top flight with the Italian's ideas not able to be implemented overnight.
“Every manager has their own opinion of the game and Roberto wants us to play out more from the back," said the Dutchman. “That's what he asked. He wants us to play with confidence and that is what we need to build but we don't have a long time left. We need to do it now.”
West Ham's win was followed by a point for Nottingham Forest. Leeds play Manchester United on Monday night and the Tottenham defender insists it is impossible to not follow the other scores.
He said: “You don't want to look at the other results and just need to win. You can't say you don't look at the other team. Six games left to get as many points as possible. There is pressure now as we are in the relegation zone but we need to make sure we get out of this situation.”