Roberto De Zerbi confirmed his intention to be Tottenham boss next season as he leads his team into a game he admits will define the club’s future.
‘Yes, I confirm everything,’ said De Zerbi on the question of his own plans. ‘For me, it’s still an honour to be a coach for Tottenham, even if we play for the relegation fight, it’s not a problem.
‘I consider football something more than the table, more than the level of the game.
‘For sure, every one of us, we are playing for the future of Tottenham.’
De Zerbi has made a terrific impact since his appointment at the end of March, picking up eight points from six games after halting a miserable sequence of 15 games without a win, but it has not been enough to avoid the nerves of a survival Sunday.
Spurs require a point from their final game of the season, at home against Everton, to preserve their Premier League status.
Roberto De Zerbi has reiterated he will be Tottenham’s manager next season even if relegated
Lose and West Ham can leapfrog them by beating Leeds at the London Stadium, condemning Spurs to relegation for the first time since 1977 and a projected loss of income of an estimated £250million.
‘The secret is to manage the pressure,’ said De Zerbi. ‘To manage the pressure you have to be clear and honest with yourself. The level of difficulty of the game is high. We are fighting for something very important for everyone.
‘But it is football. But we have enough quality. But we play in our stadium. If for us it will be a tough game, it will be a tough game for West Ham too. West Ham play Leeds and I am sure Leeds will play like they did in the Tottenham stadium.’
Leeds fought back from behind to draw at Spurs less than a fortnight ago and were denied a late winner by a fabulous Antonin Kinsky save.
‘To attack the pressure, you have to find the valour inside,’ De Zerbi added. ‘To understand the situation and to force yourself to give your best. Because the pressure is nice if you know how to manage the pressure.
‘These players are good people but are they tough. I think so, but we will see on Sunday if I’m right or not.’
Spurs slipped into the relegation zone two days before De Zerbi’s first game, which they lost to Sunderland, but have recovered form as West Ham slipped to three defeats in a row.
His plan has revolved around finding a settled team, trusting his most experienced players and working to restore confidence in those most badly affected by the turmoil of this season.
His arrival has seen Spurs climb out of the relegation zone and now favourites to avoid the drop
‘I didn’t come here in mid-table,’ he said. ‘The situation was like this, and if I came it was because I thought there were the right conditions, the right qualities and players to achieve the target.
‘Then the situation changed because we lost Cuti Romero, Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke but in my time, we made eight points and maybe deserved more.
‘We are playing well. We deserve to stay up but we have another step. A very tough step but it is possible. We have the quality to win. We are still fighting for the target. We have to be ready and strong.’
Solanke, who has missed three games since a hamstring injury, is available against Everton. Simons has damaged cruciate knee ligaments and will be out for months.
Captain Romero has returned to Argentina to work with the national team to be fit for the World Cup, a decision viewed as a dereliction of duty by Spurs fans and former players, including Glenn Hoddle who branded it ‘scandalous’.
This time last year, Spurs were basking in the afterglow of their Europa League win, but De Zerbi warned his players today’s nailbiter against Everton would be different.
‘They are two completely different situations,’ said the 46-year-old Italian. ‘It’s easier to play the final of Europa League than to play Tottenham v Everton, 100 per cent. As a pressure it’s totally different.
‘When you are fighting against relegation, the eyes of the players are not like the eyes of the players when you are winning a league, or you are competing like we were at Brighton to achieve European qualification.
‘But if we win this game there is another pride, another emotion, another feeling.’
