Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has reiterated that the team will do everything to keep their top-flight status in the Premier League.
The north London club face a huge match on Sunday afternoon as they welcome Everton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the final day of the Premier League season with just two points separating them from West Ham in the final relegation spot. The team also have a better goal difference ahead of West Ham.
However, if they lose to Everton and West Ham beat Leeds United, Tottenham could be relegated from the top flight for the first time since 1977.
Battle Of Survival
Despite a potential final-day battle for survival, De Zerbi stated that the players are ready to fight till the final 90 minutes.
“It’s still an honour to be a coach for Tottenham, even if on Sunday we play for the relegation fight, it’s not a problem. I consider football something more than the (league) table…’ De Zerbi told the club’s website.
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“We are fighting for something very important for everyone. It is football. But we have enough quality. To attack the pressure, you have to find the valour inside of yourself, to understand the situation and force yourself to give your best.”
Tottenham are two points above West Ham United in the final relegation spot, and a home draw with Everton on Sunday in their final league game of the season would almost certainly be enough to ensure their survival, as the North London club have a superior goal difference.
De Zerbi’s Previous Relegation Record
De Zerbi’s only previous experience of relegation came in 2018 with then Serie A newcomers Benevento after he joined mid-season.
While he believes you cannot compare the two experiences, he did learn plenty from a period in which he earned plenty of credit from his peers in Italy despite the team facing the drop.
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“You can’t compare these two situations because Benevento before my time was not like Tottenham. It was totally different. The level of the players, the level of the club,” he explained. “But it was a very important experience for me because if you play to compete to win, you have enthusiasm, you have a good feeling in the week, in the meeting.
“When you are fighting against relegation and you are this side and have all the players in front of you, the eyes of the players are not like the players when you are winning a league, or you are competing like Brighton to achieve European qualification.
“It’s totally different. You have be any way positive, you have to take the players with you and convince them, you have to find the balance to push and be strong with them but to give hugs, transfer confidence. It’s the sensitivity of the coach, you have to understand it’s two different situations.”
