At 22:00 BST on 5 September, Tottenham Hotspur will play away against Nottingham Forest in the third round of the Premier League. Following the end of the media blackout, the off-the-record portion of Tottenham Hotspur manager De Zerbi's pre-match press conference was made public. This article is the third part of that content.

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Regarding Mudryk, may I ask a question? Before signing him, did he have to demonstrate to you that he still maintains the same level of physical condition, competitive form, hunger and ambition for the game? Is he still the vibrant player he once was? After all, during the two years when he barely played official matches, how did he maintain his fitness and mentality at such a high level away from the pitch?

No, that wasn't necessary. I know his character and qualities as a player very well. I believe what my colleague just mentioned about motivation is very insightful and crucial. Then, during the long season ahead, we will see together whether he can appreciate and respect his talent, and whether he can live up to his extraordinary abilities and capacities.

Did the club consider and decide to sign Mudryk as a sudden, last-minute impulse, or was he always part of your transfer plans?

It wasn't in the final days of the transfer window... Yes, it wasn't a last-minute decision, but one we made after careful consideration in recent days.

I'm sure you're aware of the intense rivalry between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, these two London clubs. Some Tottenham Hotspur supporters might be slightly worried that you'll work miracles with Mudryk, transforming him into an incredibly brilliant and top-level striker who scores 20 goals this season, only for him to return to his original club, Chelsea, unscathed at the end of the season?

Yes, but as a manager, I don't have the right or ability to determine or interfere with the specific operational models and various restrictive clauses in transfer negotiations. At that extremely critical moment, we desperately needed strong reinforcements on the left wing, because at that time we only had Tel as a true left-winger available. I believe Mudryk was the perfect piece of our puzzle at that point in the transfer window. He also strongly wanted to join us, and although he had one or two other offers from other clubs at that time, he willingly accepted and chose us. I think, for now, this is truly a very advantageous win-win solution for all parties.

After suffering two consecutive defeats, how can you ensure the team maintains sufficient morale and internal confidence? Although the team's process and performance in these last few matches have been decent, it's undeniable that we ultimately suffered losses...

Good performance? The last match... No, I believe that for the first 60 minutes of the last match, our entire team displayed a very high level of play and excellent performance. Perhaps not flawless or dominant, but that performance was certainly enough to win the match. The performance in the first match was truly terrible and unacceptable, but I've completely put that unpleasant experience behind me. No, it's done, it's nothing.

I firmly believe that now we must patiently refine and build this new starting lineup. We must steadily reconstruct a long-term squad-building plan. We only closed the transfer market four days ago, and just yesterday, for the very first time, all our new signings were in place, and all our key players participated in their first complete training session together. Therefore, we have much work in training and integration that must be pursued relentlessly. Our overall chemistry hasn't yet reached its perfect peak state, but in any case, at this moment, we already possess the basic strength to compete and win matches.

Because if our expected goals against Newcastle United were an overwhelming 2.18 to 0.80, that in itself objectively reflects the true nature and current situation of the match. Newcastle United is certainly a rare Premier League powerhouse; they have top-level players, a top-level manager and perform exceptionally well in almost every aspect. But until the sudden turning point at the 60th minute, it was entirely Tottenham Hotspur who controlled everything and dominated both attack and defense on the pitch. Tottenham Hotspur created a clear numerical advantage in scoring opportunities, Tottenham Hotspur firmly controlled possession, Tottenham Hotspur penetrated and besieged the opposing penalty area more frequently and dangerously, and Tottenham Hotspur achieved overwhelming and substantial advantages in almost all key offensive data indicators, such as total shots, crosses and corners earned.

However, it's a great shame that we lost the match. Now, we shouldn't think about anything except doing everything we can to win the next match. I have full confidence in our team; we are absolutely capable of playing more fluidly in future outings, and our performances will undoubtedly improve more and more.

So, regarding James Maddison, does his current physical condition allow him to be included in the squad for this match?

I'm afraid not, because just two days after suffering an injury against Brentford, he was forced to sit out and rest for two full weeks. This is clearly not the right moment or the safest approach to rush his return.

Tradotto dall'IA.

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