Manager Roberto De Zerbi believes Tottenham’s players are gripped by the fear of relegation and fears tearful captain Cristian Romero could miss important upcoming matches. Tottenham extended their winless run in the Premier League to 14 games after Italy’s first appearance in the dugout ended in a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Sunderland on Sunday afternoon.
Spurs sit 18th in the table, precarious with just two points, but time is quickly running out after a disastrous season and De Zerbi, the north London outfit’s fourth head coach in just nine months, has six games left to try to turn things around. The former Brighton manager admits the fear of relegation itself is a stumbling block within the interim squad, but believes the team will ultimately save the club.
“I think so,” he said, nodding. “But if you ask me, I’m 46 years old, I’m much more experienced than the players, I know them as guys, I know them as players, so I’m definitely positive.”
He added: “They are struggling at this moment. They are not happy to see us lose games and see Tottenham at the bottom of the table. But we have to find the energy, the right mentality to be positive. They will find a positive manager, because I believe in their qualities.”
“We don’t have the (right) to win games just because we’re Tottenham. You can’t win games on paper. You have to show quality on the pitch and fight on the pitch to win.”
However, De Zerbi may face a rematch without Romero after the Argentina international left the pitch in tears with a knee injury. The centre-back had been pushed into goalkeeper Antonin Kinski by Sunderland forward Brian Brobby at the Stadium of Light.
He said: “We don’t know yet. We’ll have to see in the next few days. He’s a very important player for us so I hope it won’t be a major issue.” “He’s a good guy, a top player, a great personality and we need him to finish the season and achieve our goals.”
