Roberto De Zerbi says a frank team meeting before the Manchester United game is what changed Tottenham, who followed it with a 2-0 win at Chelsea.
Spurs beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with a second-half own goal from Mike Penders and a brilliant solo effort from Mathys Tel. It was only their second-ever Premier League win at the home of the Blues, and arguably the most impressive of De Zerbi’s reign.
Three games ago, the Lilywhites were rooted to the bottom of the table and had not won a league game. They have since taken seven points from a possible nine, and the Italian thinks he knows why.
What did Roberto De Zerbi say about Tottenham removing the mask?
Asked about Tottenham’s dreadful record at Stamford Bridge, Roberto De Zerbi said the history was the last problem the squad fought before kick-off.
“I think what I call the negative record was the last problem we fought before the game,” said De Zerbi. “Normally we wanted to make our fans happy, but it’s not our responsibility; it’s the result of the past.”
“Now, winning the game, we are very happy for them, very proud of the club. But I think we are working to change the mentality of our club in the last seasons.”
The Spurs boss then pointed to the turning point, which came after the 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
“Seven points after Manchester, before Manchester we spoke a lot. A big, big meeting, removing the mask and speaking honestly, clearly in front of ourselves. And from that moment I think we changed something in ourselves.”
Tottenham’s official site has more on the result at tottenhamhotspur.com.
Why does Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham meeting matter?
The numbers back him up. A side without a league win and sitting bottom has collected seven points from nine, and the latest result came at a ground where Spurs have almost never won. That is not a team still searching for itself.
It also fits the week’s wider story at N17. De Zerbi has already stood up for his medical staff and spoken about the demands he is placing on his summer signings, and the full picture of the afternoon is in our Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham match report.
Author Opinion
Managers love a dressing-room speech, and most of them end up forgotten by the following weekend. This one feels different because De Zerbi named it himself and tied it directly to a run of results rather than a vague feeling.
The phrase is memorable, and it looks as though the squad has finally arrived on the grandest stage. Keeping it up is the hard part, but honest conversations are a far better base than another false dawn. Long may it continue, Lilywhites.
