In the 4th round of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur drew 0:0 at home against Everton. After the match, Tottenham manager De Zerbi was interviewed by Sky Sports.

This is a difficult time for you, for the players, for the fans and for the entire club. How do you assess...

No, this is not a difficult time at all. I'm interrupting you precisely because this is by no means a difficult time. Last season, away at Sunderland, when we were fighting against relegation, that was a difficult time. Now, while this is not a normal period, it is also an inevitable phase in football – when you're rebuilding a team and when you start late. We only really began integrating players like Marmoush, Savinho, Solanke and Maddison two weeks ago on Thursday.

I think we played very well in the first 30 minutes of the match, but then the entire team perhaps lacked the stamina due to not being at peak physical fitness, and we are working hard to improve that. Regarding the tactical and technical quality we showed on the pitch, we had too few shots. We need to be more threatening in front of goal. We entered Everton's penalty area 74 times, but we created far too few clear-cut chances, which doesn't fully reflect the level of tactical play we demonstrated. Without question, we need to double our efforts. We need to carefully review how we finish, because we made too many poor decisions in the final third. But I think the team as a whole played well today.

There are many important messages in your answer. Let's first discuss the players' physical condition. Is the lack of physical fitness due to the fact that, as you said, many players didn't have enough time to return to the team and integrate, or do you have other challenges to manage in your preparations?

No, because the World Cup only recently ended, and many players in the squad participated in the World Cup, which is an objective fact. We also had two or three injuries: Fernandes and Micky van de Ven, who was injured in Australia, weren't able to participate in normal team training beforehand. And Solanke's injury. But I'm neither blindly optimistic nor pessimistically negative – I'm pragmatic. I think when a team can play at such a high level as in the first 30 minutes, it shows that everyone is fully capable of playing beautiful football. What we need to do now is gradually extend those wonderful 30 minutes to 60 minutes, 65 minutes, 70 minutes, 80 minutes and even the full 90 minutes. And in the final 25 meters, we need to maintain a high level of concentration. Because today... if we had scored and won the match, we'd be discussing a completely different game right now, especially from your perspective as a journalist.

This is the first time in Tottenham Hotspur's history that they have failed to score in four consecutive league matches at the start of a season. The club has invested heavily in attack, some signings were made during your tenure, and others before your arrival. How frustrating is it to see a squad full of attackers who, after six full hours of Premier League football, still haven't scored?

I'm not a journalist, and I don't write articles on social media – I'm just a head coach. My job is to assess the team's performance, identify my players' qualities, and conduct a thorough analysis of potential attacking opportunities – where we could have shot, where we could have scored and where we should have made better decisions.

You've frequently mentioned the word "belief" in recent press conferences. Do your strikers need to show more belief, stronger conviction and more decisive finishing in front of goal?

No, I just forgot something very important. The team played very dominantly in the first 30 minutes, but we failed to break the deadlock. I think from that moment on, the players' confidence began to waver and was even badly shaken. This is an important issue we need to address now. For most of the second half, I observed that the players on the pitch lacked self-confidence, and that's what I'm not satisfied with. Not winning, not scoring – of course nobody should be happy about that – but they should have the confidence to believe and see that we're on the right track.

What do you think is the root cause of this lack of self-confidence? After all, you're naturally an extremely positive and confident person who's used to leading from the front. Why can't the players keep up with the energy you're showing?

Because players are made of flesh and blood – they have sensitive thoughts, genuine emotional fluctuations, and they think with their own heads, not mine, when they play. My job is to stand here and help them, guide them, and direct their full attention to the details that need improvement. Because if we can play the entire 90 minutes the way we did in the first 30 minutes, I believe we can win most of our matches.

Is there a discrepancy between what you see on the training ground during the week and what we see on the pitch on match day?

Absolutely not. What I saw on the pitch today was exactly this group of players under my command, especially in the first 30 minutes.

One final question – whether for the head coach or the players – it's never pleasant to hear boos from home fans. What do you want to say to the fans who are showing frustration at the start of the season?

I feel very sorry for the fans, and the entire team feels apologetic. They were fantastic today, especially in the first half. When they saw the team playing intricate passes, pressing hard and trying to score, the emotions of the fans completely merged with those of the players on the pitch. It's natural that they reacted with frustration at the end of the match, isn't it? It's completely normal for fans to show emotion, and we must always express our gratitude for their support.

Will this goalscoring drought end? Are you confident that this barren spell will definitely pass?

My confidence? As I said, I'm a pragmatic person – neither negative nor blindly optimistic.

Übersetzt von KI.

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