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Roberto De Zerbi admits threat of relegation is affecting Tottenham squad
Roberto De Zerbi admitted fear of relegation may be a problem for Tottenham but is still staying positive in the wake of a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
The Italian took charge of his first Spurs game at the Stadium of Light, with his side entering the game in the drop zone after West Ham beat Wolves on Friday.
Despite some promising opportunities from Richarlison and Dominic Solanke in particular, Sunderland claimed three points when Nordi Mukiele’s strike deflected in off Micky Van de Ven in the 61st minute.
Defeat leaves Tottenham in 18th place in the Premier League table and they are still searching for their first Premier League win of 2026.
Asked if he felt like the fear of relegation itself is the problem, De Zerbi replied: “I think so, yep.”
When asked how he can change that, the Spurs boss added: “If you ask me, I am 46 years old. I have much experience than the players and I’m positive, absolutely, because I know them as a guy and as players.
“For that I’m positive, not because we are Tottenham or because I have to do positive, no.
“They have quality enough to win one game. The target now, the closer target, is to win one game because if we win a game, we can see everything in a different way.”
Tottenham have six league games to retain their Premier League status, starting with a home clash against De Zerbi’s former club Brighton next Saturday, but the Italian urged his side to stay positive.
He said: “First of all, the players of Tottenham are all good guys and they are suffering for this moment.
“They are not happy when we lose the game or they are not happy to see Tottenham at the bottom of the table. But we have to find the energy, we have to find the right spirit to be positive.
“To think during the week when they stay with me, for sure, they will see a positive coach because I believe in their qualities, just for that.
“You can’t win the game on paper, you have to win the game showing the quality on the pitch, the fighting on the pitch, you have to score the goal and not to concede a goal, for sure.
“But they are human and they are suffering maybe too much. Altogether, we have to stay close to be positive to improve in the detail, the football, but to be better as a mentality.”
Victory sends Sunderland into the top half of the table after securing back-to-back Premier League wins following their derby victory over Newcastle prior to the international break.
They hit their 40-point target last month and with six games remaining, Regis Le Bris was pleased to see a positive display from his team.
“The week was good, really good,” the Sunderland boss said.
“They worked hard, we felt that they were ambitious because it’s about daily standards. It’s not about just words – we want to achieve this or that – it’s about what you are doing every day.
“So after that, after three weeks, it’s still a bit unpredictable the way we’ll play against an unknown opponent, with a different new coach, different ideas.
“But overall, I think the energy was really positive, which is a good sign for the future.”
