LONDON — Roberto De Zerbi said one win can “change everything” for Tottenham Hotspur as the full extent of his task to save them from relegation became clear after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.
The Italian took over from interim boss Igor Tudor at the end of last month and Spurs started his first match at the helm in the Premier League drop zone after West Ham beat Wolves on Friday.
Their defeat, courtesy of Nordi Mukiele’s heavily deflected strike in the second half, left them two points behind the Hammers with just six games to go, Reuters reported.
Sorry Spurs has not won a Premier League game since late December and are facing a huge battle to avoid their first relegation since 1977.
But former Brighton and Marseille boss De Zerbi – the London club’s third manager of a shocking season – said a win would change the mood.
“We have to work on one win because with one win we can change everything this season,” he told Sky Sports.
“I have 24 hours per day and it is not a problem of time. We created chances in the first half, the same we have done in the week.
“The players have great quality but we have to believe more in ourselves and the crucial part is to win one game.
“We can play much better than today but after five or six training games it is difficult. Altogether, we have to stay focused to win one game.”
Tottenham faces Brighton next week, with a game against bottom club Wolves to follow but it is difficult to see where their next win is going to come from.
De Zerbi said his new team, who has lost half of their 32 league matches this season, had the quality but were suffering a crisis of confidence.
“I can be a big brother, father, they don’t need a coach,” he told the BBC. “They don’t need to improve football. They can play better and they will play better once we reach a different level of confidence.”
