Roberto De Zerbi Doesn't Think This Is a Difficult Time Because Last Season's Battle Against Relegation Was the Real Struggle

After Tottenham Hotspur FC drew 0-0 with Everton FC at home in the fourth round of the Premier League, manager Ange Postecoglou gave an interview to Sky Sports.

This is a difficult time for you, for the players, for the fans, and for the whole club. How do you assess this situation?

No, this is not a difficult time at all. I'm interrupting you because this genuinely isn't a difficult time. Last season, when we visited Sunderland while fighting to avoid relegation, that was a difficult time. Right now is not a normal period, but it's an unavoidable stage in football—when you're building a new team and getting off to a slower start because we've only just integrated Maddison, Richarlison, Solanke, and Madders in the past two weeks. I think we played very well in the first 30 minutes of the match, but after that, perhaps due to the players' physical condition not being at peak, the whole team lacked energy later on. We're working hard to improve this. In terms of the tactical quality we showed on the pitch, we had too few shooting opportunities. We need to threaten their goal more. We entered Everton's penalty area 74 times, but we created too few clear-cut chances, which doesn't fully reflect the tactical level we demonstrated in the game. Without question, we need to double our efforts. We need to carefully review our decision-making in the final stages, as we made too many poor choices in the attacking third. But overall, I think the team played well today.

There are several important takeaways from your answer. Let's talk about the players' fitness first. Is the lack of fitness because, as you mentioned, many players didn't have enough time to rejoin the team, or are you facing other difficult problems that need managing in your team preparation?

No, because the World Cup only just finished, and many players in the team played in the World Cup, which is an obvious fact. We also have a couple of injuries: Fernandes and Micky van de Ven, who got injured in Australia. They couldn't participate in normal training sessions beforehand. There's also Solanke's injury. But right now I'm not looking at things through rose-tinted glasses or being relentlessly pessimistic. I'm a rational person. I think if the team can play at such a high level for 30 minutes, it shows everyone has the full capability to play beautiful football. What we need to do now is gradually extend this excellent 30-minute performance to 60 minutes, 65 minutes, 70 minutes, 80 minutes, and even a full 90 minutes. In the final 25 yards, we need to maintain high concentration because today... if we had scored and won the game, everyone would be talking about a completely different match, especially given the nature of your question.

This is the first time in Tottenham Hotspur's history that they haven't scored in four consecutive league games at the start of a season. The club has invested heavily in attacking reinforcements, with some players signed during your tenure and others before you arrived. How frustrating is it to see a full roster of attacking players but zero goals after 6 hours of Premier League football?

I'm not a journalist, and I don't write articles on social media. I'm just a head coach. My job is to assess the team's performance, identify the quality of my players, and analyze in depth the possible attacking problems—where we should be shooting from, where we should be scoring, and where we should be making more rational decisions.

You often mention the word "boldness" in your recent press conference. Do your attacking players need to show more courage, stronger confidence, and more clinical finishing instinct?

No, wait. I just forgot something very important. The team dominated the first 30 minutes, but we couldn't score. I think since then, the players' confidence has started to waver and has been severely damaged. That's a critical issue we need to face right now. For most of the second half, I noticed that the players on the pitch seemed to lack real confidence, which I didn't like. Not winning and not scoring—of course, nobody should be happy—but they should have the confidence to believe and see clearly that we're heading in the right direction.

What do you think is the main reason for this lack of confidence? Because naturally, you're someone with a positive and confident attitude, always leading the team from the front. Why couldn't the players maintain the momentum you displayed?

Because players are human beings. They have delicate minds, genuine emotional fluctuations, and they think with their own brains, not mine. My job is to be here to help them, to guide them and focus all their attention on the details that need improving. Because if we could play for all 90 minutes the way we did in the first 30, I believe we would win most of our matches.

Is there a disconnect between what you see in training and what we see on match day?

No. What I saw on the pitch today is a group of players under my command, especially in the first 30 minutes.

One final question. For both the coach and the players, hearing the home fans' boos is never easy. Do you have anything to say to the fans who are showing disappointment early in the season?

I feel very sorry for the fans, and our whole team feels terrible. They were brilliant throughout the day, especially in the first half, when they saw the team playing beautiful football, pressing hard, and trying to score. The fans' emotions were completely unified with the players on the pitch. That kind of disappointed reaction at the end of the game is human nature, isn't it? It's completely natural for fans to show emotion, and we must always show gratitude for their support.