In Matchday 3 of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur drew 0-0 with Nottingham Forest away. After the match, Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi attended a press conference to answer questions from the media.

Today, perhaps the attack wasn't what you expected, but in defence the back line and midfield demonstrated excellent organisation, discipline and tremendous effort.

Yes. But I think we played well. In the final third we need to improve. We need to make better decisions, smarter decisions. When we're close to creating a threat in the final third, perhaps we need to stay calmer. I remember just two minutes ago, I remember Marmoush's shot. At that moment Andrew Robertson had space. If we'd made the right decision and passed to Andrew Robertson at the far post, Kudus could have easily scored. There were also some crosses that went past the far post—Mathis Tel had two, Savio had one. With Savio, I think there was a decision-making issue. Porro passed to Mateus Fernandes, who then passed to Kudus, and Solanke finished with a header. Mateus was completely free at that moment and could have calmly struck forward. In any case, I'm very happy with the spirit the team showed, and I'm satisfied with our organised defence with and without the ball. We didn't give our opponent any chances. Their style of play is very clear: long balls and fighting for rebounds. But even in fighting for rebounds we won many duels. They have an excellent group of players, and picking up points away from home isn't easy. We're disappointed not to have won, but I think this is the right spirit and the right path for us to continue moving forward. Because we only started training together last Thursday to create and build this team, to establish our collective organisation. Relying solely on paper strength and transfer market signings is not nearly enough.

It seems Bentancur won many duels on the pitch...

Excellent performance. Bentancur played an excellent match. The same goes for Sandro Tonali and Conor Gallagher. Yes, both Conor Gallagher and Sandro Tonali played brilliantly, as did Bentancur. Van de Ven also played very well. However, I do have some regrets because at the time I thought Savio and Udogie could have played more than 60 minutes. But we had a plan with the medical team, and we didn't want to risk injuries. So at that moment I couldn't make decisions based solely on what was happening on the pitch.

Roberto, I think fans will understand that you've signed many new players and it takes time to build understanding. But we're used to the fluid football you showed with Brighton. The team today didn't have a single shot on target—does that concern you?

No, we could have scored three or four goals today. Because if you make the wrong decision, you don't score, but in my view those were still clear chances.

Last question—Mykhailo Mudryk played his first match in almost two years today. How would you assess his performance?

He's not ready yet. He's working hard to get back to his best physical condition. He needs time, he needs training. At this position we also have Mathis Tel, who has huge potential, but Mathis Tel also made too many wrong decisions. And there's Mykhailo, Mykhailo Mudryk. So we have two excellent players with great potential in this position. But in any case, if we want to score goals, I think Marmoush can score 15 goals, and Solanke's header—I also think that was an excellent chance. Even though it didn't result in a shot on target, it really was an opportunity. Besides, how many shots did Nottingham have today? I think in any case, it was an excellent performance.

Indeed it was good. But I just wanted to ask about the substitution agreement reached with the medical team. Can you tell us more about that? Did they tell you before the match...?

Yes, before the match the plan was for Savio and Udogie to play around 60 minutes, and playing beyond that risked injury.

Are you happy with that plan? Before the match were you satisfied with replacing them after an hour?

No, of course not, but that's football. Savio's current physical condition doesn't allow him to play 90 minutes. He's a very important, even decisive player for us. Udogie is also a decisive player for us. I think Kudus and Andrew Robertson played well today, but you know, in a match with today's intensity, coming on as a substitute and immediately getting into the rhythm isn't easy. When I have to follow a predetermined plan, I'm genuinely not happy about it, but it's in the long-term interests and my responsibility to sensibly manage players returning from injury.

You mentioned that Sandro Tonali played well today. Did you see the physical condition you expected from him? Is this the level you expect from Sandro Tonali? Have you noticed an improvement in his fitness during the week?

I think he can go up another level, but honestly it was his best performance so far. Conor Gallagher also played excellently. Marmoush gave us tactical quality in attack.

You mentioned Conor Gallagher. Was including him in the starting midfield a tactical decision, or was there something wrong with Mateus Fernandes, or did you simply decide to play that way?

You know, I have enough experience to know what this stadium means. This stadium represents the most authentic English football. And Conor Gallagher is more familiar with this type of game than anyone else. During my time as Tottenham Hotspur manager, Mateus will certainly be one of the best players. But I'm fortunate because I have plenty of players to choose from, and I need to find the best balance before the match and field the most suitable starting XI.

You mentioned errors in the final third. How do you train and correct them in regular sessions?

Through tactical meetings, watching matches with the players and video analysis. Also, I think it's important to win more games. Because, you know, confidence, enthusiasm and high morale are crucial for making the right tactical decisions, aren't they? But I really love this group of players. I just mentioned Marmoush, yes, Marmoush. But we need to assess whether Marmoush is capable of scoring 12 to 15 goals. I think yes, because he has everything needed to score that many. Of course, he needs to keep improving, and so does Solanke. I think if Dom could fully recover and reach his best physical condition, the chance he got today would have turned out very differently.

Переведено ИИ.

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