According to the Evening Standard, De Zerbi took the Tottenham Hotspur players out for dinner last week at the same upscale Mayfair restaurant they visited last season during their relegation battle.

Shortly after arriving at the club late last season, De Zerbi had taken the entire squad to Bacchanalia, a Mediterranean restaurant, for a morale-boosting dinner. That meal had a positive effect, with Spurs' form improving afterwards and ultimately securing their Premier League status on the final day of the season.

With a rocky start to the new season—no goals and no wins in the first four league matches—De Zerbi intends to use this tactic once again.

The Italian brought his newly assembled and expensively recruited squad back to Bacchanalia, hoping to spark a reaction from the team. He joked that he was happy to pay for dinner as long as he could "save money for cigarettes."

De Zerbi revealed at Monday's pre-match press conference: "Last week we went for dinner with all the players. We had some food, some water, and some beer, yes. It's always a pleasure to go to dinner with my players."

Spurs drew 0-0 at home against Everton over the weekend. The team started well but squandered many chances during the match. De Zerbi subsequently urged the players to relax and avoid rushing their decisions in the final third.

The former Brighton manager had previously acknowledged that the team was struggling with psychological pressure, but he reiterated his confidence in his players while also asking them to take greater responsibility.

De Zerbi continued: "Perhaps I am not objective enough about my players, but my opinion of them might be different from yours. I think they are excellent players.

"We are building a new project, a new team. If we don't score, if we don't win, we have to take responsibility. But if they don't win or score, it won't change my opinion of the players.

"If we want to change what has happened in the last two or three seasons, we must be stronger here (he pointed to his head) and believe in the players' abilities and in the decisions we made a month ago. Otherwise, we can only keep changing—you can change players, or change coaches, change and change again, but nothing will change. Or you keep this head, stay humble, and work with the right spirit. I believe in my players. I hope they believe in themselves as much as I believe in them."

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