At 19:30 CEST on September 19, Tottenham will host Aston Villa in the fifth round of the Premier League. Following the lifting of a media embargo, excerpts from Tottenham manager De Zerbi's pre-match press conference have been released. This article is the second part of that content.

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【De Zerbi: I've never had a problem with scoring, I think it's purely coincidence】

Hello, can I ask a question about Sandro Tonali? He's your most important signing, do you have higher expectations of him?

No, he's a very good lad, he works very hard in training and in his work, and I'm very pleased to have Sandro; we're fortunate to have Sandro with us. His integration process hasn't been particularly quick, but that's normal – it was the same during his first season at AC Milan, though of course he was younger then. Changing cities and everything around you is never easy. Some players can adapt and integrate immediately, while others need more time, but I think Tonali showed very well in the match against Everton.

What exactly do you mean by "integration," since that encompasses many things?

Exactly, as I just said: the city, the club environment, the team's playing style, everything.

What is your specific tactical vision for him? Do you see him as a deep-lying playmaker who orchestrates play from behind, or do you want him to be a more all-around 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 in the deep-lying playmaker role. His ball control is excellent, his off-the-ball movement and defensive ability are outstanding – he's a very complete midfielder. Like Bergvall and Matheus Fernandes, although their specific technical characteristics are different, I think all three possess the qualities of a modern all-around midfielder.

Have you spoken to him about his transfer fee and his value? Have you helped ease the pressure on him?

No, he doesn't feel any pressure about that. I spoke to him about it about 15 to 20 days ago, but he's completely unburdened by the transfer fee.

By the way, a general question: we've seen midfielders like Tonali, Enzo, and Bruno Guimarães sold for very high fees this summer. I know this isn't really your domain, but why do you think midfielders are so sought after and expensive right now?

Good question, perhaps the best question you've asked me today (laughs). But it's difficult to give a precise answer; I wouldn't dare say, but the midfielder position is certainly very important, isn't it? However, there are also many excellent midfielders. I don't know whether high transfer fees are due to a scarcity of top midfielders or other reasons, because I think there are many elite midfielders in the world – Sandro, Bruno Guimarães, Rice two years ago, Enzo Fernández, Baleba, André Santos, and so on. 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'm just wondering whether the high physical demands of the Premier League significantly increase the importance of midfielders' ability to press and cover ground.

Yes, but it's not absolute. Look at Bernardo Silva when he played for Manchester City; he won every honour available at the midfielder position, but he really doesn't have a particularly muscular or powerful physique. So it depends on the team's playing style; it depends on many different factors.

Hello, regarding Tonali, I have a couple more questions. He performed well against Everton and took on more responsibility in controlling the ball. You previously mentioned that players need to break through "psychological barriers." Is that an apt description of Sandro's current situation?

No, no, no – I would never use the term "psychological barrier," because in football, if you score when you create good chances – and goals don't come out of nowhere – but if you create chances and don't convert them, you might feel a bit frustrated. But currently, I don't see any so-called psychological barriers at all. What I can simply see is that he hasn't yet returned to peak physical condition, or some of his passing and receiving qualities haven't reached their best level.

Aside from the last two matches, I think our defensive performance has actually been very good. Nottingham Forest didn't even have a significant chance to score against us, and we created eight clear chances against Villa and Everton, so this is certainly not a psychological barrier. As I said, perhaps it's because we started the season a bit late, and we're now working hard to make up ground.

In the match against Nottingham Forest, his off-the-ball defensive work was very impressive. Do you expect him to have more impact in the final third?

In the final third, yes, we can certainly create more chances. For example, we did that in the Liverpool match, although we didn't score in that one. Sometimes it requires players to be calmer and more composed on the pitch. When you have a chance to score, when you need to make a decision, being able to stay calm and confident and make the most sensible decision – I think that's very important.

Finally, regarding Bergvall, you previously mentioned that you need to care for him like a young player – to "put a hand on his shoulder and look after him." Should you use a similar approach with Sandro Tonali, or is it different?

Bergvall has played very well; I think Bergvall is completely fine. Bergvall and Tonali can completely start together, or both be substitutes, or one starts and the other comes off the bench – there's no issue. The most important thing is their performance when they play: when Lucas plays, he needs to perform at the level he showed in the last two matches, because his performance in the closing stages of the Everton match was also excellent.

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