De Zerbi: Tonali's adaptation hasn't been quick, but it was the same at Milan

On September 19 at 19:30 Beijing time (11:30 CEST), Tottenham Hotspur will host Aston Villa in the 5th round of the Premier League. After the media embargo lifted, the confidential portion of Tottenham manager De Zerbi's pre-match press conference was made public. This article is the second part of that content.

Hi, can I ask a question about Sandro Tonali? He was the team's most important signing, do you have higher expectations for him?

No, he's a very good lad, very diligent in training and his work. I'm very happy to have Sandro, and it's fortunate for us to have him with us. His adaptation process hasn't been particularly fast, but that's normal. His first season at Milan was the same – granted, he was younger then, but changing cities and everything around you is never easy. Some players can change and adapt instantly, while others need more time, but I believe Tonali played very well against Everton.

What exactly do you mean by "adaptation"? Because this includes so much...

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

What's your specific tactical vision for him? Do you see him as a deep-lying playmaker building from the back, or do you want him as a complete box-to-box midfielder?

He can play in both positions because his physical attributes allow him to play as a box-to-box midfielder, but he started his career as a deep-lying playmaker. His ball-playing ability is quite good, and his movement off the ball and defending are both excellent. He's a very complete midfielder. Like Bergvall and Matheus Fernandes – though their specific technical characteristics aren't exactly the same – I believe these three players possess all the qualities of a modern complete midfielder.

Have you discussed his transfer fee and its value with him? Did you help ease the pressure?

No, he doesn't feel any pressure about it. I spoke to him about it perhaps 15-20 days ago, but he doesn't feel at all that the transfer fee puts any pressure on him.

On a related general note, we've seen midfielders like Tonali, Enzo, and Bruno Guimarães sold for very high transfer fees this summer. I know this isn't your area of responsibility, but why do you think midfielders are so valued and expensive now?

That's a good question, perhaps the best you've asked me today (laughs). But it's very difficult to give a definitive answer. I can't say for certain, but the midfield position is undoubtedly crucial, isn't it? However, there are also many excellent midfielders. I don't know if the high transfer fees are due to a scarcity of excellent midfielders or other reasons, because I think there are still many top midfielders in the world, like Sandro, Bruno Guimarães, Rice two years ago, Enzo Fernández, Baleba, André, and so on. It's an excellent question, but I can't answer all of them. Sometimes I really don't know, and I have to think about it.

I was just wondering if the intense physical demands of the Premier League have significantly increased the role of midfielders in duels and covering the pitch?

Yes, but it's not absolute. Look at Bernardo Silva when he played for Manchester City; he won everything there was to win in midfield, but he didn't have a massive frame or great physical strength. So it depends on the team's style of play, it depends on many different factors.

Hi, regarding Tonali, I have another question. He played excellently against Everton, taking on more responsibility in possession. You previously spoke about players who need to break "mental chains". Is that an appropriate description of Sandro's current situation?

No, no, no, I don't want to use words like "mental chains" at all because in football, if you can score when you create good chances – because goals don't come from nowhere – but if you create chances and don't convert them, you might feel a bit frustrated. But for now, I don't see any so-called mental blocks at all. What I see could simply be that he hasn't yet returned to his best physical condition, or some quality in his passing hasn't reached its peak.

Apart from the last two matches, I think our defensive performance has actually been very good. Nottingham Forest didn't even have decent chances against us, and we created eight clear chances against Villa and Everton, so this is absolutely not a mental block. As I said, maybe it's because we started the season late, and now we're fighting hard to make up the gap we left behind.

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

In the attacking third, yes, we can certainly create more chances, as we did against Liverpool, even though we didn't score in that match. Sometimes this requires players to be more relaxed and sharp on the pitch. When you have a scoring opportunity, when you need to make a decision, being able to stay calm and confident and make the most sensible decision – I think that's crucial.

Finally, regarding Bergvall, you previously mentioned taking care of him like a senior, putting "a hand on his shoulder and looking after him". Should you treat Sandro Tonali similarly, or is it different?

Bergvall is playing very well, and I don't think there's any issue with Bergvall. Bergvall and Tonali can absolutely start together, or both be on the bench, or one starts and the other is a substitute – there's no problem with any of that. The most important thing is their performance when they play: when Lucas plays, he needs to perform at the same level as the last two matches, because in the final stages of the Everton match, his performance was also very exceptional.

Tradotto dall'IA.

Il sito web di AF è ora online! Notizie complete, commenti, dettagli delle partite e statistiche sul tuo computer. Visita: www.allfootballapp.com