De Zerbi: Tonali's adaptation has been slow, but it was the same when he was at AC Milan

At 19:30 Beijing time (CEST) on September 19, Tottenham Hotspur will host Aston Villa in the fifth round of the Premier League. After the media embargo ended, excerpts from Tottenham manager De Zerbi's pre-match press conference were released. This article is the second part of that content.

Hello, can I ask you about Sandro Tonali? He is the club's biggest signing, do you have higher expectations for him?

No, he is a very good person who works very hard in training and in his work. I'm very happy to have Sandro, and we're fortunate to have him with us. His adaptation process hasn't been very quick, but that's normal. His first season at AC Milan was the same – of course, he was younger then, but changing cities and everything around you is never easy. Some players can adapt instantly, while others need more time, but I think Tonali played very well against Everton.

What exactly do you mean by "adaptation"? Because it encompasses many things...

Yes, as I just said: the city, the club environment, the team's style of play, everything.

What is your specific tactical vision for him? Do you see him as a deep playmaker building from the back, or do you want him to be a versatile box-to-box midfielder?

He can play in both positions because his physicality suits a box-to-box midfielder well, but he started his career as a deep playmaker. His ball-handling skills are quite good, and his movement off the ball and defensive work are also excellent. He is a very complete midfielder. Like Bergvall and Matheus Fernandes, although their specific technical characteristics aren't exactly the same, I believe these three players have all the qualities of a modern versatile midfielder.

Have you spoken to him about his transfer fee and helped alleviate any pressure regarding it?

No, he doesn't feel any pressure about it. I spoke to him about it maybe 15 to 20 days ago, but he doesn't feel any pressure from that price at all.

One more thing – I'd like to ask a general question. We've seen midfielders like Tonali, Enzo, and Bruno Guimarães sold for very high transfer fees this summer. I know this isn't in your area of responsibility, but why do you think midfielders are so sought after and so expensive right now?

That's a good question, perhaps the best one you've asked me today (laughs). But it's very difficult to give a definitive answer. I can't be certain, but the midfielder position is undoubtedly very important, isn't it? However, there are also many great midfielders. I'm not sure whether the high transfer fees are due to a scarcity of great midfielders or other reasons, because I think there are still many top midfielders in the world, like Sandro, Bruno Guimarães, Rice two years ago, and Enzo Fernández, Baleba, André Santos, and so on. It's a very good question, but I can't answer it all – sometimes I really don't know, I need to think about it.

I was just wondering whether the high physical demands of the Premier League have greatly increased the importance of midfielders in terms of tackling and area coverage.

Yes, but that's not absolute. Look at Bernardo Silva at Manchester City – he's won every possible award in midfield, but he doesn't have great or exceptional physicality. So it depends on the team's style of play and many different factors.

Hello, regarding Tonali, I have a few more questions. He played well against Everton and took on more responsibility with ball possession. You previously spoke about players who need to shed their "mental shackles." Is that an accurate description of Sandro's current situation?

No, no, no, I wouldn't use a term like "mental shackles," because in football, if you can score when you create good chances – because goals don't just appear out of nowhere – but if you create chances and don't convert them, you might feel a bit frustrated. But right now, I don't see any sort of mental block at all. What I might see is perhaps not being back to optimal physical condition, or perhaps some passing and receiving qualities haven't reached their peak yet.

Excluding the last two matches, I think our defensive performance has actually been very good. Nottingham Forest didn't even get a decent shot on goal against us, and we created eight clear chances against Villa and Everton, so this is clearly not a mental block. As I said, it might be because we started the season a bit late, and we're now working hard to catch up.

In the match against Nottingham Forest, his off-the-ball defensive performance was very impressive. Do you expect him to show more influence in the attacking third?

In the attacking third, yes, we could certainly create more chances. For example, we did that against Liverpool, although we didn't score in that match. Sometimes this requires players to be more relaxed and clear-headed on the pitch. When you get scoring opportunities, when you need to make decisions, it's crucial to stay calm and confident and make the most sensible decision.

Finally, regarding Bergvall, you mentioned earlier that you need to look after him like a parent, "putting your hand on his shoulder and caring for him." Should you treat Sandro Tonali the same way or differently?

Bergvall is playing very well, I think Bergvall is doing just fine. Bergvall and Tonali can both start together, or both be on the bench, or one starts and the other is a substitute – there's no problem at all. The most important thing is their performance when they play: when Lucas plays, he needs to perform at the same level as in the last two matches, because in the closing stages of the Everton match, he was also brilliant.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com