Roberto de Zerbi wants to banish ‘negative thoughts’ as Tottenham battle for survival

LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto de Zerbi is keen to silence the negativity in his players' heads as they battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League, sitting two points below the safety zone with four games to go.

Spurs won their first league game since December at bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, but faced a major setback when attacking midfielder Xavi Simons suffered a cruciate ligament rupture, ruling him out for the season.

De Zerbi's men visit fifth-placed Aston Villa on Sunday, and the coach, who took charge a month ago, wants to be rid of the negativity surrounding the team's performances.

"Listen, I want to be clear one time. The most important challenge now is to silence the voice inside of us, inside of the players, inside the staff, the fans," he told reporters on Friday.

"This voice produces negative thoughts and the voice says 'We are unlucky, we have too many injuries. We lost Xavi Simons and he was in the last two games one of the most important players for us’.

"The voice says our medical staff is not good enough, the pitch of the stadium is not good... winning two or three games in a row is impossible because we hadn't won a game in 2026. I think it's all negative things and it's rubbish."

He added: “It is not the best moment for us, it is a tough and difficult moment... But the losers cry, the losers think negative. I don’t want people close to me to be crying or think in a different way from me.”

De Zerbi said the focus should instead be on the quality of the Spurs players, who have picked up four points from the last two matches.

"We go to play against one of the best teams... but if Tottenham win at Villa Park it's not a miracle. Maybe we lose but we have the quality to win this game. It’s not a miracle. We have to be positive," he said.

The Italian added that midfielder James Maddison, who has returned to the bench but is yet to play after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in August, can play a role in the last few games of the campaign.

"I'd like to play with him because he is a special player but we have to consider physical condition, a lot of things, but I think he can be important in the next three games," he said.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains absent after a hernia operation, while Cristian Romero, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski are also sidelined.

De Zerbi also promised that Spurs, who finished 17th last season, will do everything they can in the summer transfer market to avoid another struggle.

"In summer we can do everything. Everything. We have a lot of time to spend speaking about football, about the transfer market, about everything we can improve. We will," he said.

Villa boss Unai Emery, whose side are chasing a Champions League spot, has warned his players not to underestimate a wounded Tottenham side.

“Each match in the Premier League is very difficult. They have very good players and they have a very good coach,” he said on the club website.

“They have experienced players, good players, and I expect a very difficult match. I expect in 90 minutes to play competing in our best way, tactically and in our structure through the players individually and collectively.

“Villa Park is something we must use, pushing us to win the match.” REUTERS, AFP