Roberto De Zerbi has spoken about his confidence in his Tottenham Hotspur side ahead of their crucial trip to Chelsea, with focus firmly fixed on finishing the job in their Premier League survival push.
The last thing Tottenham Hotspur needs at this stage of their season is to be complacent, as their work is far from done in the fight for Premier League survival.
Of course, there is no denying that the latest West Ham United slip-up, where the Hammers lost 3-1 to Newcastle United, does give Spurs a little room for error, but they must avoid thinking that way.
Up next is a massive London derby with Chelsea set to take on Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
For Spurs, any result aside from defeat and they are safe, but the Blues will not want to have the Lilywhites celebrating survival on their own turf and will only look to compound Spurs’ misery.
Tottenham Roberto De Zerbi on confidence in Spurs side ahead of Chelsea clash
Roberto De Zerbi is well aware of what is at stake for Tottenham coming into the Chelsea game, and he will be hoping his players are up to the task.
Interim Chelsea boss Calum McFarlane is also aware of how significant this match is and has sent a warning message to Spurs in advance as he looks to galvanise his own players.
Spurs do have De Zerbi to thank for the recent upturn in results. Before his appointment, Tottenham were plummeting down the table fast, but after eight points from his last four games, some belief has been restored in N17.
De Zerbi has now made it clear ahead of the Chelsea game that he is confident in his players, while also stressing the importance of maintaining focus and intensity at this stage of the season.
When reflecting on recent results and the standards he expects from his squad going forward, he told football.London: “We did not deserve to lose the first game at Sunderland but we made eight points from the next four and we deserved to get more points.
“But we cannot remember how things were a month ago. To get one point is tough, because all teams fight on the pitch. I want to see the right spirit, character and courage on the pitch.”
Spurs urged to stay focused as De Zerbi keeps Chelsea message simple
De Zerbi also warned Tottenham against being carried away or looking too far ahead, insisting the focus must remain firmly on the task in front of them.
According to the Spurs boss, attention must stay on the two remaining games and securing the points needed to complete their objective, rather than revisiting wider issues from the season.
He addressed the importance of focus and energy management, making it clear there is no room for distraction at this stage. When asked if the relegation scare was a wake-up call for Tottenham, De Zerbi was keen not to promote any complacency.
He added, “No, listen, one thing at a time. Now we need to play two games. We need to make other points to achieve our target and then have the right time to talk about the problems we have had, but it is not time right now and to lose energy over it.”