De Zerbi says Tonali is taking time to settle in at Tottenham, but it was the same at AC Milan

On September 19 at 19:30 CEST, Tottenham will host Aston Villa in the fifth round of the Premier League. Following the end of the media blackout period, Tottenham manager De Zerbi has released an excerpt from his pre-match press conference. This article is the second part of that content.

Hello, can I ask a question about Sandro Tonali? He's our biggest signing, and do you have higher expectations for him?

No, he's a very good player, and he tries hard both in training and in matches. We're very happy to have Sandro and we're fortunate. The process of him adapting isn't very fast, but that's normal. His first season at Milan was the same — yes, he was younger then, but moving to a new city and changing everything around you is never easy. Some players can adapt immediately, others need more time, but I think Tonali played very well against Everton.

What does "adapting" mean? There are many aspects involved...

Yes, like I said before — the city, the club environment, how the team plays, everything.

What's your specific tactical view of him? Do you see him as a deep-lying playmaker starting from the back, or do you want him to be a full box-to-box midfielder?

He can play both positions. His physique allows him to play as a box-to-box midfielder, but he started his career as a deep-lying playmaker. His ball control is excellent, and his movement and pressing without the ball are particularly good. He's a well-rounded midfielder. Like Bergvall and Matheus Fernandes, although their specific technical characteristics aren't identical, I think all three of these players possess all the qualities of a modern, versatile midfielder.

Have you told him about his transfer fee? Has that helped relieve any pressure?

No, he hasn't felt any pressure about that. I spoke to him about 15 to 20 days ago, but he doesn't feel burdened by the transfer fee.

On a related note, I'd like to ask a general question. This summer we saw midfielders like Tonali, Enzo, and Bruno Guimaraes sold for very high transfer fees. I know that's not in your jurisdiction, but why do you think midfielders are so valuable and expensive right now?

That's a good question, and it might be the best question you've asked today (laughs). But it's very difficult to give a precise answer. I can say with certainty that the midfield position is undoubtedly important, isn't it? But there are also many good midfielders. I don't know if high transfer fees are because good midfielders are rare or for other reasons, because I think there are many top midfielders in the world — Sandro, Bruno Guimaraes, Rice and Enzo Fernandez two years ago, Baleba, André Santos, and others. It's a very good question, but I can't answer everything. Sometimes I really don't know; I need to think about it.

I was thinking it might be due to the increased physical demands in the Premier League, which has made the defensive and coverage aspects of midfielders more critical.

Yes, but that's not always the case. Look at Bernardo Silva when he was playing for Manchester City. He had all the qualities a midfielder could have, but he wasn't particularly physically strong. So it depends on how the team plays and other factors.

Hello, I have a few more questions about Tonali. He played well against Everton and took more responsibility on the ball. You previously said players need to break their "mental block." Is that an accurate description of Sandro's current situation?

No, no, no, I would never use the term "mental block." Because in football, if you create good opportunities and can score — and the reason is that goals don't come from nowhere — but if you create opportunities and can't convert them, that can be frustrating. But currently, I don't see that kind of mental blockage at all. What I see is that he might not yet be at his physical best, or some of his passes might not be at the highest standard yet.

If you ignore the last two matches, I think our defensive performance has been really good. Nottingham Forest didn't give us good scoring chances, and we created about eight chances against Villa and Everton, so that's definitely not a mental block. As I said, we started the season late, so now we're trying to make up for the matches we've lost.

His defensive work against Nottingham Forest was excellent. Do you expect him to show more attacking intensity in the final third?

In the final third, yes, we can create more opportunities. For example, like we did against Liverpool, where we didn't score but we did create chances. Sometimes players need to be calmer and clearer in the box. When getting scoring chances and making decisions, I think it's important to be calm, confident, and make the best decision possible.

Finally, regarding Bergvall, you previously said he should be treated like an adult and given a "pat on the back" for support. Should Sandro Tonali be treated similarly, or differently?

Bergvall is playing well; I think Bergvall is absolutely fine. Bergvall and Tonali can both start together, or both be on the bench, or one can start and the other can be a substitute — there's no problem with that. The most important thing is their performance when they play — when Lucas plays, he should perform at the level he showed in the last two matches, because his performance in the final stages of the Everton match was also excellent.

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