Some Tottenham supporters have been left “disappointed” after manager Roberto de Zerbi decided against the arrival of his side’s coach ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game against Brighton.
Thousands of fans turned out to welcome Spurs players as they arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for last month’s crucial relegation battle against Nottingham Forest. Similar plans were made ahead of Saturday night’s game against Brighton, but those arrangements have now been scrapped.
In a statement posted by @SpursArmyTweets on
“He and the club have apologized for the absence of a manager’s meeting. It’s a shame as we had hoped to welcome them back in the thousands in an effort to cheer them up ahead of an important period for the club.”
“However, we genuinely understand that this is now or die and we will support Roberto in whatever he sees fit to give the players the best possible preparation.
“We are already in discussions in the event that the coaches’ meeting does not take place. Things are tough at the moment, but we are working on other plans to enhance the atmosphere before kick-off. Further details will be provided shortly.”
The importance of the match against Brighton has increased significantly following last weekend’s result which sent Spurs into the relegation zone.
West Ham defeated Wolves on Friday night and Forest picked up a point against Aston Villa on Sunday. At the same time, Tottenham lost to Sunderland and Leeds United beat Manchester United on Monday night.
Daniel Farke’s side face Spurs next month, with nine points separating the two clubs at that point, and could well have secured their place in the top flight. Before their fixture in North London, Spurs must first travel to face Wolves and Aston Villa, with the hope that the latter will turn their attention firmly to their Europa League campaign.
Injury troubles have compounded De Zerbi’s problems, with two major setbacks emerging since joining the club. Mohamed Kudus picked up a hamstring problem on his way back to full fitness, while Cristian Romero has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
The Spurs captain suffered a knee injury against Sunderland and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks. However, Wednesday’s training revealed some encouraging fitness updates, with Rodrigo Bentancur returning to partial training.
James Maddison was also seen training on the grass at Hotspur Way with his team-mates, but he is still a long way off returning from surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament.
