LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto de Zerbi has called on his players to use taunts from their rivals as motivation in the fight against relegation from the English Premier League.
Tottenham, two points above West Ham United in the final relegation spot, need two points from their remaining two games to be sure of survival, though one point would likely be enough thanks to their vastly superior goal difference.
Tottenham, who were last relegated from the top flight of English football in 1977, take on London rivals Chelsea later on Tuesday and can expect to hear plenty of chants about their dire campaign.
“We have to find new motivation from this pressure,” the Italian manager said according to Reuters.
“If everyone wants Tottenham relegated, it’s a big motivation for me and I hope for my players as well. We have to accept that football is nice because of the rivalry. It’s good to imagine ourselves celebrating the win in their stadium…
“The pride is amazing motivation. The pride, if everyone wants Tottenham relegated, I think for one Tottenham player, one Tottenham fan, all the people who work inside Tottenham, it has to be the biggest motivation.”
Tottenham concludes their season with a home game against Everton on Sunday. West Ham has only one match left to play, a home fixture against Leeds United.
