Roberto De Zerbi has revealed why he is hopeful that Tottenham’s first win of 2026 can change the mentality of the squad amid their relegation battle.
Going into the final 10 minutes of the clash at the Molineux Stadium, Tottenham’s survival chances were looking extremely bleak.
The Lilywhites had not managed to break down Wolves while West Ham were 1-0 up against Everton, with the Hammers looking set to move four points clear of their London rivals with four games to go.
However, substitute Joao Palhinha popped up with a crucial match-winner in the 82nd minute, with Spurs hanging on to taste a win in the Premier League for the first time in almost four months.
Roberto De Zerbi admits pressure told on Tottenham players against Wolves
Spurs could have moved out of the relegation zone if not for West Ham’s stoppage-time winner at the London Stadium after the Toffees equalised on 88 minutes.
De Zerbi is hopeful that the win against Wolves will change the mentality of his squad, insisting that he wants his players to be focused on winning their matches rather than worrying about other results.
When asked what the win says about the character of the Spurs squad, De Zerbi said (via the club’s official website): “Yeah, I think in the first half, in the first 30, 35 minutes, we played well. We didn’t create big chances to score, but anyway we had total control of the game.
“Then, I don’t know the pressure, maybe we didn’t win any games in 2026, maybe this pressure, maybe because we played against Wolverhampton, we lost distances, we lost order on the pitch, everyone of us wanted to go one-to-one, but anyway, I’m happy for the result.
“I hope this result can change something in our head, in our mentality for the other results. It’s already very tough to win a game for us. If we put our heads on the other teams, it becomes too tough for me.”
De Zerbi hails the spirit and attitude of Spurs players
The Tottenham players have come in for plenty of criticism over the course of the campaign, with some pundits even questioning whether the Spurs players care much about the club’s predicament.
However, De Zerbi insisted that the players have been suffering due to the poor results this campaign, and has hailed the attitude and spirit they have shown during a testing time.
When asked what has surprised him about the Tottenham players, the Italian responded: “When I watched the game, or if you watch the game on the stand or TV, you can’t understand if they have the right spirit, they have the right attitude, and I work with them every day, and all players are professional, good guys.
“They are suffering for this situation, just to give them confidence and order on the pitch, because I didn’t like the second half at all, we could play better, we have to play better, much better than the second half, we have to play like the first 30 minutes, maybe creating more chances to score and more shots on goal.”
`