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Spurs boss out to quickly shift perceptions as West Ham defeat offers chance to escape bottom three

Defiant: Roberto De Zerbi believes that Tottenham can win all of their remaining games this season

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Sam Tabuteau

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The walls may be closing in on Tottenham, with just four games left to save themselves from relegation.

But Roberto De Zerbi wants to “silence the voice inside of us” and focus on “ourselves and the quality of my players” heading into the final month of the season.

Even after recording their first Premier League win of the calendar year against Wolves last weekend, the overwhelming feeling around the club has once again been one of negativity.

A season-ending injury for Xavi Simons, who became the third player to see his campaign prematurely curtailed since De Zerbi took charge, has been the main talking point ahead of Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa.

Spurs had seemingly found a solution to their creativity issues before Simons was stretchered off with an anterior cruciate ligament injury at Molineux. Not for the first time this season, it was one step forward and two steps back.

The idea of drafting James Maddison in for his first competitive appearance in 12 months has been floated, but De Zerbi is not convinced.

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“I would like to play with him, because he's a special player, he's a different player, but we have to consider the physical condition,” the Italian said in his pre-Villa press conference.

What De Zerbi is convinced of, however, is Spurs’ chances of staying up. He still believes they can win all of their remaining games.

“It is possible because we have good players,” he said. “We have Pedro Porro, we have [Destiny] Udogie, we have Micky van de Ven, we have [Rodrigo] Bentancur, we have [Joao] Palhinha, we have [Conor] Gallagher.”

De Zerbi’s belief has never waned since taking the reins from Igor Tudor. He knows how quickly things can change at the bottom of the table and West Ham’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday has offered renewed hope.

At one stage last weekend, Spurs briefly smelled the rarified air of Premier League safety after Palhinha gave De Zerbi’s side the lead at Wolves before Everton equalised late on at the London Stadium to see Tottenham temporarily move out of the relegation zone.

Callum Wilson’s stoppage-time winner put a stop to Spurs’ celebrations. But having been offered a snapshot of what survival might look like, De Zerbi is keen to chase that feeling.

He is positive yet realistic, accepting of the club’s situation but unwilling to dwell on or “cry” about the past.

“I want to be realistic,” he said. “It's different being positive. (I am) not positive because today is sunny, it's Italian weather, and I'm positive, no, no.

“I want to be realistic, and for that, I feel this pressure to change the perspective. The same perspective you can see in different ways.”

De Zerbi admits the responsibility of keeping Spurs, a club who have not been relegated to the second division in nearly 50 years, in the Premier League is weighing on him.

He is watching everything. From Crystal Palace’s injury list ahead of their match with West Ham last Monday to the rolling news coverage on Spurs’ plight.

Ultimately, though, De Zerbi is not prepared to see his team branded as “losers” because “losers cry”, and, long-term, that is a habit that becomes hard to shake.

De Zerbi wants to end this torturous campaign with “no regrets”, so Spurs will “attack” the final four games of the season rather than accepting their fate.

With everything seemingly conspiring against them, De Zerbi is determined to shift the perception around the club.

Spurs have to face Villa, Leeds, Chelsea and Everton before the end of the season.

Their fiercest opponent, though, is in their heads. De Zerbi knows that personality can power Spurs over the line.

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Roberto De Zerbi earned his first win as Spurs boss at Wolves last weekend thanks to Joao Palhinha’s late strike at Molineux.

West Ham’s 2-1 victory over Everton quickly dashed the optimism that stemmed from Spurs’ first league win of the calendar year, but the Irons’ most recent result could give the north Londoners some reason to be positive.

Tottenham occupy the final place in the relegation zone, with Burnley and Wolves already fallen through the trap door into the Championship next term.

Spurs are two points of their London rivals, and have the chance to leapfrog them above the dreaded dotted line today after the Hammers’ 3-0 defeat at Brentford.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were thrashed at the Gtech Community Stadium as the Bees continued their surprise challenge for a European finish.

Should Spurs beat Villa today, they would jump above West Ham into safety, and that result would see Nuno’s men fall precariously into the bottom three.

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 6pm BST ahead of a 7pm kick-off.

Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the HBO Max app and website.

The 21-year-old has yet to start under De Zerbi, having also failed to nail down a regular starting berth under Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank.

He could, however, be handed an opportunity for more minutes following the news that Xavi Simons will miss the remainder of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

De Zerbi has always insisted that while Tel has not featured regularly since he took over from Tudor a month ago, he believes in the Frenchman’s talent.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, De Zerbi described Tel as “one of the best young players in Europe” and suggested he could be in line for a rare start away to Aston Villa on Sunday evening.

“He is a potential big player, a potential big talent at the moment and we have to help him become a top player because he has the right qualities to do that,” De Zerbi said.

“I’m sorry because I use him in not his favourite position, because he played two games as a right winger, against Wolves and Brighton. His favourite position is left winger but for example at Wolves he was important to win the corner for the goal.

“Now maybe without Xavi and Maddison and Odobert and all the other players he can feel more comfortable because he can prepare his game for one week without the thoughts of whether he plays or not. The responsibilities can be better for us and for him.”

He left Bayern in search of more regular game time, but played a bit-part role as Spurs lifted the Europa League last season and saw the majority of his minutes come in the Premier League, with Ange Postecoglou prioritising Europe.

Tel, who has started just nine league games this season, has seen his development stall and his World Cup aspirations vanish this term.

“I don’t know (if he can fulfil his potential) but it can be the right moment for him. The players become great when they understand the right moment to become better,” De Zerbi continued.

“Xavi in my time spent the time and was becoming great, and I could feel something different from him in personality and confidence, in performances as well.

“I don’t know if the credit is mine but maybe he understood the right position, had the right confidence and the ideas of the coach so he made the most of the opportunity.”

After a favourable result yesterday, Tottenham can boost their hopes of preserving their Premier League status when they take on Champions League-chasing Aston Villa this evening. Spurs won their first league game of 2026 last weekend and know if they can follow that up with another victory in the Midlands, the reward will be to climb out of the bottom three after West Ham were heavily beaten by Brentford.

Tottenham have lost both games against Villa this season - both of which at home - and their task at Villa Park has been made all the more difficult with Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke being added to an already lengthy injury list. However, Roberto De Zerbi is set to welcome Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr back as he plots a key win in the relegation battle.

Villa's upcoming Europa League semi-final second leg may prove a factor, though Unai Emery's side know they can all-but confirm a top-five finish with a win. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Sam Tabuteau.

Former Tottenham winger Chris Waddle is adamant that James Maddison must start if he is fit enough to play a role in Spurs’ Premier League run-in.

Tottenham remain in serious danger of being relegated to the Championship despite recording their first league win in 118 days away at bottom club Wolves last weekend.

Still two points from safety with just four games remaining this term, Spurs are in desperate need of attacking inspiration after losing Xavi Simons to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

The Dutch midfielder has been ruled out for the remainder of the season as well as this summer’s World Cup.

Maddison is the obvious replacement for Simons, but despite being named on the bench for Tottenham’s last two games, he has not played a competitive fixture now in nearly a year.

The 29-year-old has been working his way back to fitness after suffering his own ACL injury last August, and head coach Roberto De Zerbi is hesitant to rush the midfielder‘s rehabilitation.

With time running out for Spurs to avoid relegation to the second tier for the first time since 1977, Waddle is insistent that his former club must risk Maddison if he is in any way fit enough to play.

“I just wonder if he [De Zerbi] can get Maddison in the team. I think he’s a good player. We know the lad can create,” Waddle told Standard Sport, speaking on behalf of Prime Casino, which has a wide variety of online slots, including Football Cash Collect.

“And when he gets a ball and if he's feeling fit and he's confident about his knee, then he's got to be put into the team because he is a creative player.”

But they appeared to have found a solution to their creative issues with Simons starting on the left of De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1 formation before drifting centrally as he did to great effect against Brighton.

Simons’ absence, the third season-ending injury De Zerbi has suffered since taking charge a month ago, means the Spurs boss has had to go back to the drawing board.

Waddle believes that Mathys Tel, who has struggled to earn consistent minutes this season, could also be the answer for Tottenham.

The French winger has impressed off the bench, forcing the corner from which Joao Palhinha struck the winning goal against Wolves, and could be in line for a rare start when Spurs travel to Aston Villa on Sunday.

“I thought Tel, who came on against Wolves, if he could hold that form, maybe this manager suits him. He does like to play on the front foot,” Waddle continued.

“He does like attacking players. He likes players who can do things on the ball. So Tel could be a bright spark in the last four games. But really, I just wonder if he can get Maddison in the team.”

That rallying cry came at the end of Spurs’ 2-2 draw at home to Brighton, in which they conceded a 95th-minute equaliser from Georginio Rutter, and De Zerbi has since been keen to stay positive.

“I can't change my face or myself depending on who is in front of me. Clear, honest and what I feel I say,” De Zerbi said.

“The voice says, ‘we are unlucky, we have too many injuries, we lost Xavi Simons and he was the last two games one of the best players and most important players for us, our medical staff is not good enough and the pitch of the stadium is not good, the pitch of the training ground is not good, it is impossible to win two or three games in a row because we have not won too many games in 2026,’ I think it is all negative things.

De Zerbi said his positivity stems from the reality of Spurs’ situation, insisting he is not blind to the problems at the club, but that he has seen enough in his first month in charge to believe they can stay up.

“I'm not [being] positive, I want to be realistic, it's different being positive, not positive because today is sunny, it's Italian weather, and I'm positive, no, no. I want to be realistic, and for that I'm like, so I feel this pressure to change the perspective. The same perspective you can see in different ways,” De Zerbi continued.

“One way is we are unlucky, we are at the bottom of the table. The other perspective is, yes, but we play with Pedro Porro, with Udogie, with Bentancur, with Bissouma, with Palhinha, with Gallagher, with Richarlison, with Kolo Muani. Kolo Muani two years ago, PSG paid £70 million [for him].

“He's not stupid, he's a top player. Mathys Tel is one of the best young players in Europe. Richarlison is in the Brazilian national team, he's not in a different team.”

“In the first half he was telling us he was feeling something in his calf but in another leg,” Unai Emery explained afterwards. “I don’t know how he’s going to recover.

“Hopefully in a few days he can recover. But of course we must be careful with him as well.”

Onana made his return to the Villa side at the City Ground, having recovered from a knock that saw him miss the defeat to Fulham last weekend.

With the second leg falling after the Spurs game, it is possible that the Belgium international is not risked on Sunday to give him more time to prove his fitness for the big European decider.

Villa are currently fifth in the Premier League table and are on course to qualify for the Champions League, regardless of the outcome from their Europa League journey.

Emery’s side have an eight-point advantage over sixth-placed Brighton which means a return to Europe’s top table could be sealed as early as this weekend, depending on results elsewhere.

Tottenham won their first league match in 2026 against already-relegated Wolves last weekend, but the result was not enough to lift them out of the bottom three due to West Ham’s win over Everton.

Roberto De Zerbi says he does not know if James Maddison will be able to play for Tottenham between now and the end of the season.

The 29-year-old has not played a competitive fixture in exactly a year - Spurs’ Europa League semi-final first-leg against Bodo Glimt - but has been named on the bench in each of their last two games.

De Zerbi has been hesitant to say that Maddison is fit enough to play in Spurs’ remaining four games, instead suggesting that he has been providing a leadership role within the squad.

In any other season, De Zerbi would be unlikely to risk Maddison. But with Xavi Simons now out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury against Wolves last weekend, he has a decision to make about Maddison’s fitness.

The England midfielder is training “very well” according to De Zerbi, but the Spurs boss admitted that while he would like to play Maddison, he did not know if he would be able to feature against Aston Villa or Leeds.

“I don't know, I would like to play with him, because he's a special player, he's a different player, but we have to consider the physical condition, a lot of things. But I think he can be important in the next three games,” De Zerbi said in his pre-match press conference.

But while he is cautious about throwing Maddison headfirst into a relegation battle, De Zerbi insists that he can have an impact on the squad, regardless of whether he is on the pitch.

Asked what qualities Maddison has provided since returning to Spurs’ matchday squad, De Zerbi praised his “experience” and “personality” while admitting he would need Maddison to be 100 per cent ready before bringing him into the team.

“If you have much experience, you are calmer. You can consider the timing when you have to speak, when you have to say something or not.

“And I want him to stay inside even if he doesn't play, because when he will be ready to play, I want him 100 per cent inside of the plan of the team.”

Roberto De Zerbi has said Dominic Solanke will be absent for Tottenham’s trip to Aston Villa this Sunday.

The 28-year-old went down off the ball and received treatment on the pitch before being replaced by Richarlison in the 40th minute.

Reports this week then suggested that Solanke had suffered a grade 2 hamstring injury and would miss the remainder of the season.

Asked for an update on Solanke’s fitness, De Zerbi said: “I don’t know yet (if he is out for the rest of the season). Villa no.”

Guglielmo Vicario is still not available after missing the last three games following hernia surgery.

De Zerbi had said he expected Vicario to be back in training at the start of this week but he confirmed some bad about the Italian shot-stopper.

“He is not available,” said the Spurs head coach.

Destiny Udogie also missed the win over Wolves with a muscular injury, but will be fit as Spurs travel to Champions League-chasing Villa.

“Udogie can be available,” De Zerbi added. “I dont know beginning of the game or the second-half.”

Spurs’ injury woes have only increased since De Zerbi took charge, with the club confirming that Xavi Simons had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Wolves.

Simons, who was stretchered off the pitch at Molineux following a coming together with Wolves defender Hugo Bueno, will now miss the remainder of the season as well as this summer’s World Cup.

Deputy goalkeeper had a nightmare Champions League debut

Oli Gent

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky has reflected on his glaring errors against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, believing that he is “stronger” for it.

The Czech goalkeeper was called upon in a surprise selection by then manager Igor Tudor, who dropped first-choice shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario to the bench for the big last 16 first leg at the Estadio Metropolitano.

Spurs found themselves 4-0 down inside 22 minutes in the Spanish capital, and Kinsky was at fault for two of the four goals.

He misplaced a pass while trying to play out for Atleti’s opener as Marcos Llorente punished him inside six minutes, and he then produced an airshot while trying to clear the ball from the onrushing Julian Alvarez, who capitalised to net the hosts’ third of the evening.

It led to Tudor hauling Kinsky off after just 16 minutes, replacing him with Vicario in a stunning first-half substitution.

"It was a moment, [my] debut in the Champions League, that I was dreaming of as a young boy,” Kinsky told Sky Sports.

“For me, this was the thing that I was going for. I was looking forward to it so much.

"Of course, after the game, I was sad that it happened but on the other hand, I was calm.

"I have good people around me who always give me good feedback, what they really think about it and they are honest with me.

“I spoke to them a lot, I listened to them, then I compared it to my feelings and they were similar.

“It was just to keep going and make sure that when the next opportunity comes, I will be ready again."

Subbed: Antonin Kinsky

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The Czech, who has been new boss Roberto De Zerbi’s No1 with Vicario nursing an injury, joined Spurs from Slavia Prague in January 2025.

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“I would say I'm stronger by that one experience,” Kinsky continued on that night in Madrid.

"It's not like before I would feel weak, now I feel stronger because I [had that experience].

“You make it because you are strong already and it makes you just stronger and it helps you just to grow.

"There are always so many things to improve, so it just shows you the things that you can get better at or mentally to adjust a little bit the approach towards the game."

Kinsky underlined his importance to Spurs with a fine save to deny Joao Gomes in the 98th minute at Molineux last weekend, as De Zerbi secured a first win of his tenure.

The three points gave the north London club a lift in their bid to stay in the Premier League, although West Ham’s late victory to beat Everton meant that Spurs remained in the bottom three with four games to play.

They are two points adrift of their London rivals, and Spurs take on Aston Villa on Sunday as their relegation run-in intensifies.

"It was more the weight of the moment,” Kinsky said of his stoppage-time save.

“Everyone knows it's important, especially at the last minute because then you don't have time to add another one.

“It's very precious. If we didn’t bring three points from there, of course, it would be much more difficult now.

"We are not closer [to safety] but at least we didn't get further [away].”

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