Roberto De Zerbi has singled out a Tottenham youngster for praise after his side played out a 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Monday.
Spurs had a golden opportunity to go four points ahead of West Ham after they had lost to Arsenal on Sunday, but they were unable to grab it with both hands.
De Zerbi had to settle for another draw in his second home game in charge, which means that the threat of relegation remains very real for Tottenham heading into their final two games of the season.
It could have been even worse for the Lilywhites if not for the heroics of a 23-year-old, whose contribution was not lost on the Spurs boss.
Roberto De Zerbi is delighted with the improvement of Tottenham starlet Atonin Kinsky
Antonin Kinsky made a couple of world-class saves, and if not for his brilliant reaction to parry Sean Longstaff’s effort to the post, the Lilywhites may have been on the receiving end of a gut-wrenching loss.
Jamie Carragher has labelled the Kinsky’s late stop as one of the saves of the season, and De Zerbi has now admitted that he had no doubts about the Czech goalkeeper’s ability from the day he arrived at Hotspur Way.
When asked about Kinsky’s performance, the Italian told Football.London: “He’s improving a lot. He’s a good goalkeeper. I had no doubt in my first days in Tottenham because I knew him before coming here. He played in Madrid, he made that mistake, and it was tough for him. He has great personality, strong character and he deserves to play a game like today.”
De Zerbi insists Spurs are not short of quality despite injuries
Kinsky is one of several backup players who have stepped up amid Tottenham’s injury crisis, with the likes of Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel also grabbing their opportunities with both hands.
De Zerbi insists that despite Spurs’ injury setbacks, he is lucky to be working with the calibre of players he is at the moment.
When asked if the lack of attacking depth due to the injuries hurts his side, given the demands his system places on the attackers, the 46-year-old responded: “Yes, but I think I am very lucky to have these players, even if we have too many injuries. I think we have enough quality and the good enough players to stay up.
“I said this after Sunderland, after Brighton. I think in the last four games we’ve made eight points, but we deserve more than eight points. For that, I am positive, I’m happy. I’m looking forward to starting to work this week and preparing for the next game.”
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