On September 5 at 10 p.m. Beijing time (4 p.m. CEST), Tottenham Hotspur will face Nottingham Forest away in the third round of the Premier League. Following the lifting of the media embargo, the off-the-record portion of Tottenham manager De Zerbi's pre-match press conference has been made public. This article is the second part of that content.

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It's clear that Richarlison was the team's leading goalscorer last season with 11 Premier League goals. Do you currently have enough confidence in your squad that other players can reach that level, or even surpass it? Or do you believe the attack should rely more on collective effort, with multiple players sharing the goalscoring burden?

Yes, but you may not be aware of a crucial detail. During pre-season preparations, I had an open conversation with Richarlison, asking if he was willing to extend his contract with us, as I would have been very happy to keep him in the team. But he himself did not want to stay or extend.

Yes, Richarlison is indeed an excellent player who played a very important role last season. He's a good man, truly. But ultimately, as head coach, I must respect his wishes and stop pressuring players to stay. If a player has made it clear through their actions and statements that they desperately want to leave, how can I hold them back? Although I regret his departure, we must move on and work wholeheartedly with Solanke and Marmush.

Do you see him (Marmoush) as the team's number nine? Or would you prefer him to play as a left winger? I know you've often emphasized the importance of versatility and a player's multifunctional attributes. In what position do you plan to deploy him?

He's a very talented and excellent player, and we will organize him specifically as the long season progresses. Generally speaking, if by a traditional number nine you mean someone who can hold their own in the penalty area, then he doesn't fit that mold. But he possesses completely different technical characteristics.

He played as a forward during his time at Frankfurt and is eager to play in that position. However, he's a striker with a completely different style from Richarlison. Our tactical approach demands attacking through possession, long passes, quick short passes, tactical coordination, and sharp runs to exploit space behind the opposition defense. He does this quite well, so we need to adapt our use of Omar to suit his distinct characteristics.

After the previous match against Brentford, I asked you about this briefly, but looking at our team's physical confrontation ability now, with Richarlison's departure, the very strong and physical Danso also gone, plus Romero's departure, in this extremely intense Premier League we find ourselves in, which places great emphasis on size, strength, and set-piece execution, do you think your current Tottenham squad has sufficient physical qualities to support and implement your "De Zerbi football"? Do you feel your players have both the physical confrontation ability and the technical standards you demand?

Yes, but remember we also have Solanke, and our central defense certainly doesn't lack personnel with solid physical qualities and resilience. Moreover, listen, to defend set pieces properly, the first requirement is that you must have that fierce, fighting spirit and an unbreakable will and the right defensive mentality to battle until the end. Because in many one-on-one confrontations on the pitch, you absolutely cannot lose every physical duel simply because you are smaller than your opponent.

We have Alan – what's his name again? Alan Dickson. If necessary, we can even send Alan Dickson directly onto the pitch to defend set pieces. But my point is that if you lack the iron will to fight desperately in a confrontation, then having good physicality alone is useless. That's the fundamental difference determining success or failure. Moreover, the team's defensive tactical structure is also very important, not just physical confrontation.

But we still have Jan Paul van Hecke, we have Van de Ven, we have Udogie, we have Bentancur, we have Solanke. Conor Gallagher is excellent at defending and contesting set pieces—why? Because he always fights and battles with all his strength during matches, doesn't he?

Hello, Roberto. You just mentioned that Richarlison had the opportunity to leave before the official transfer window closed. Are you referring to a possible return to Everton, which we already know about, or another offer we don't know about?

The fact is that before the transfer window completely closed, we did receive an offer for him. But ultimately, he personally refused to accept it and sign. As for what happened after, I'm not entirely sure.

Is the club very disappointed? Because his refusal to leave meant you ultimately missed out on another strong player you desperately wanted to recruit?

Honestly, I don't know exactly what the club's board thinks, but I believe if a player keeps saying "I want to leave, I want to leave, I want a change of environment" every day, then you must have concrete, real offers behind you. Otherwise, what's the point of making these statements? What are you even doing?

Regarding the offers, I think the offer that truly suited all parties came only after the official transfer window closed. But personally, I don't directly participate in transfer negotiations, nor do I interfere in them, and I don't have the unilateral right to decide whether a certain player should stay or leave the team.

Can you tell us if he's currently training normally with everyone at the training ground, or has he been excluded from training?

Personally, I'm very sad and regret his situation, because he's truly a good man with a big heart. When a player can't get playing opportunities and at the same time can't leave smoothly, it's a really unsatisfying and unfair situation.

Traduit par IA.

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