Tottenham Hotspur fans have finally heard from Roberto De Zerbi for the first time since his appointment, with the Italian laying down early markers that hint at what is to come in north London. We have now highlighted the five things we learned from his first interview.
Tottenham Hotspur heard from their new manager, Roberto De Zerbi, for the first time since he was appointed manager of Tottenham following Igor Tudor’s departure.
The former Brighton man has a huge task on his hands for the remainder of the season, with Spurs fighting relegation and aiming to keep their Premier League status, one they have held for almost half a century.
His first game comes in nine days when Tottenham take on Sunderland away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in what will mark a new era under the Italian.
We have now decided to highlight five things we learned from De Zerbi’s first Tottenham interview.
Roberto De Zerbi confirms Tottenham future regardless of relegation
Long before he signed a new contract, it was speculated that the former Brighton manager was set to have a relegation clause included in his deal with Tottenham.
Such a clause would have allowed De Zerbi to walk away from the Spurs job if they were relegated to the Championship. But it has since been confirmed that there was no relegation clause in De Zerbi’s contract, despite him signing a five-year deal.
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In his first press conference with the club, De Zerbi confirmed that he will remain in north London regardless of the division Spurs are in.
He said: “I signed a five-year contract because for me, it is a big challenge. I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what.”
This comes after earlier reports had revealed that De Zerbi planned to stick with Tottenham even in the Championship.
De Zerbi also took time to address the controversy involving comments he made about Mason Greenwood.
The controversy surrounds the Italian’s past defence of Greenwood, who moved to Marseille after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and assault, only for the charges to be dropped later due to the withdrawal of key witnesses.
De Zerbi had previously said at Marseille: “He is a good guy, he paid a heavy price for what happened, a very heavy price. He has found the right environment for him. We have lent him a hand and given him affection.
“He is a little bit introverted but I know him and his family. It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described in England.”
It was reported that Tottenham did consider Roberto De Zerbi’s Greenwood comments, but it was not seen as enough reason to go against him.
Addressing fans directly, De Zerbi apologised for his comments. He stated: “I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women, or violence against anyone more broadly.
“In my life, I have always stood up for those who are more vulnerable, more fragile. I have consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk.
“Those of you who know me well will know I am not the type of person who makes compromises to win more games or to win an extra title. I am sorry if this offended anyone’s feelings with this subject matter – I have a daughter, and I am very sensitive to these things, and I always have been.
“I hope that over time, people will get to know me better and will understand that at that moment, I did not mean to take a stance.”
This came following backlash from three different Tottenham supporters’ groups who had expressed their dissatisfaction with the club’s appointment.
Roberto De Zerbi outlines style and player demands
There had been questions about whether De Zerbi’s style would be enough to see Tottenham through this relegation fight.
A couple of pundits were of the impression that a safer pair of hands would have been ideal for Spurs as they battle against the drop.
De Zerbi addressed those claims himself when speaking to the club’s media, opening up on his style and what he will demand of the players.
He said, “I am very happy and very proud to be here. I consider Tottenham one of the most important clubs in the world, so I am very happy. I have a big responsibility, but it is a big challenge for me, and I am looking forward to starting and to working with the players and to winning some games.
“I watched a lot of games, especially in the last period. I know very well the players. I love football, so I watch many, many games per week. I know everything. I know it is a tough moment for Tottenham. It is a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham. I think we have the right qualities to come out of this moment.
“I believe in the players. I think we have to remember who we are and who the players are, because we have very big players. We have to work on their confidence and qualities. They have to show what they are and what they are good at.”
Speaking on the upcoming games, he added, “I think we have to be focused just on the Sunderland game. I do not want to speak about the schedule or the Brighton game or the Wolverhampton game. Game by game, we have to prepare the players to win the game and to be focused just on the game.
“We have to play with courage. We have to play with the qualities of the players, because if I accept this challenge, it is because I have big confidence in the players and the history of Tottenham football has a very clear style of play.”
Roberto De Zerbi admits no time to fully implement philosophy
De Zerbi is known for his aggressive, front-footed style of football and, given Spurs’ struggles this season both in defence and attack, the former Brighton boss will have to find the right balance.
He also addressed whether he will stick rigidly to his principles or adapt in the coming games, stating that while he loves a front-footed style, there will be little time to fully implement his philosophy.
He said: “I think it is not the right moment to speak about my philosophy for football. I am here now at the end of the season because we have to win the games. In football, the style of play and the tactical disposition are important. There is a mentality and I would like to help the players to reach the best mentality we can show.
“I signed a five-year contract because for me it is a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what.
“I love keeping the ball, I love possession, I love to create chances to score. But at the same time, I love having 11 defenders when we do not have the ball, because in this time of football, we have to attack with 11 players, with the goalkeeper as well. We have to defend with 11 players when the ball is not for us.
“I think in this moment, we have no time to work too much on more principles, but we have to know what we have to do on the pitch. We have to have a good organisation on the pitch, with the ball and without the ball. We have to consider the qualities of the players.
“We are lucky, I am lucky because I have big players with big talent and my work is to help the players to show their qualities.”
Roberto De Zerbi calls for unity ahead of run-in
While De Zerbi made it a point to address the backlash from Spurs fans, he also made it clear that supporters remain vital to what he is trying to achieve.
Spurs still have seven finals to play in the Premier League, with the first starting against Sunderland. The former Brighton manager stressed that fans remain crucial at this stage of the season, calling for togetherness.
He explained that the players will be looking to put in performances that match the support from the stands. De Zerbi said: “The fans in the last seven games, especially in this moment, are crucial.
“We have to be together. They have to stay close to the players, help the players, and the players have to show the right mentality, the right attitude to give back to the fans’ satisfaction and what they want to see on the pitch. Because after this part of the season, I think we can become great in the future.”
