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Roberto De Zerbi makes huge Tottenham admission ahead of Premier League relegation decider
Spurs still in danger of the drop after derby defeat at Chelsea
Sam Tabuteau
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Roberto De Zerbi believes Tottenham’s final-day relegation showdown against Everton is more important than last season’s Europa League final.
Spurs’ 2-1 defeat by Chelsea on Tuesday night ensured their safety in the top flight would not be decided until the final day.
Spurs remain two points above the relegation zone but have handed West Ham a lifeline in their bid to beat the drop as their unbeaten run came to an end at Stamford Bridge.
Spurs host Everton on Sunday, knowing that defeat could see them relegated to the Championship.
De Zerbi has described the game as “the final for Tottenham” and said beating Everton was more important than winning a trophy.
“My focus is to prepare the next game and to make points. Because Sunday is the final for Tottenham, not Bilbao against Man Utd [in the Europa League final],” De Zerbi said post-match.
“The most important game is Sunday, because last season they played for the trophy, now we play for something more important than the trophy.
“Because the pride, the history of the club, the dignity are more important than the trophy. The trophy you can win, you can lose, nothing changes in your life.
“You can have one trophy more, but the most important is to keep the dignity, to keep the pride, not to go on holiday like this [head up], and not like this [head down].”
Tuesday’s match saw a flashpoint when Micky van de Ven was wrestled to the ground in the box by Marc Cucurella, but was not awarded a penalty as the Premier League Match Centre deemed the ball was not yet in play at the time of the incident.
“The referee’s call of no penalty to Tottenham Hotspur was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that the action from Cucurella had ended before the ball was in play,” the statement read.
Roberto De Zerbi fumed with the referees after losing to Chelsea
Getty
Asked about the decision, De Zerbi was dismissive, stating that the focus was on Sunday as Spurs try to “stay alive” in the Premier League relegation battle.
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“The fans today have been fantastic, fantastic, and we have to say thanks because they were incredible,” De Zerbi continued.
“If we speak about the penalty with Leeds, today we can speak about what you want but we lose focus and we lose energy.
“My focus is to stay on the pitch, to stay in the best first XI I can decide for Sunday, and to transfer what I think about this game, about the football and to prepare in the best way the players.
“I think we played a final, we played an important game, but in our stadium, and we have two results out of three, so we have to stay alive, but anyway, it is a big day for us.”
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