Roberto De Zerbi has revealed his emotions following his Tottenham’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United, but the game still gives him hope.
Spurs had a golden opportunity to go four points clear of West Ham after their North London rivals did them a favour by beating the Hammers 1-0 on Sunday.
It looked like Tottenham were indeed going to move into the driver’s seat in the race for survival when Mathys Tel gave them the lead with a lovely curler on 50 minutes.
However, the Frenchman turned from hero to villain 24 minutes later as he inexplicably attempted an overhead kick inside Spurs’ own box, only to miss the ball and catch Ethan Ampadu.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin dispatched the penalty, leaving Tottenham just two points away from the drop zone with two games to go.
Roberto De Zerbi claims Tottenham were good but not great against Leeds
De Zerbi is yet to taste a win at home, having to settle for yet another draw after seeing his side throw two points away against Brighton last month.
The Italian felt that his side was good, but not great, and pointed out that the Lilywhites’ position in the relegation race is still much better than it was a few weeks ago.
De Zerbi told Football.London: “For sure, we didn’t win the last two games at home but as a coach I have to consider the performance, not just the result. If we win today, nothing changes in terms of performance. We didn’t play a great game. We played a good game. We have to be honest and say that even if we did win.
“We can’t forget what the situation was just 15 days ago after my first match at Sunderland. Eight points from four matches, and you couldn’t have imagined we would be in this position, two points above. Also, we can forget that Leeds’ last defeat was on March 1. We must not forget that West Ham must also play Leeds, and they will fight like they did today.”
The picture could look very different for Spurs when they travel to Chelsea
Some will feel that Tottenham are still well placed to stay up, not only having a two-point advantage over West Ham, but also having a much superior goal difference.
However, the Hammers play ahead of Spurs again next week and should they win at Newcastle, De Zerbi’s men will be in the bottom three when they take to the field at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea players and fans will certainly be up for the occasion, and the pressure on the Tottenham players will be immense.
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