Roberto De Zerbi had to deliver multiple injury updates at his press conference on Friday ahead of Tottenham’s Chelsea derby.
Spurs finally recorded their first Premier League win of the season with a 3-1 win against Coventry on Monday night. Now they must travel through London on Saturday night to Stamford Bridge, a venue where they have had little success for decades.
De Zerbi has been dealing with his usual Tottenham injury problems and provided updates at Hotspur Way on Destiny Udogie, who missed Monday’s game against Coventry, as well as Andy Robertson, Tosin Adarabioyo and Omar Marmoush, who all missed out on that win.
The Spurs boss also provides the latest on Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison and the physical reaction to their first appearances, starting around 18 months apart respectively.
Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those questioning De Zerbi. Here is the full transcript of the press conference at Hotspur Way.
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Who is in tomorrow’s match?
Pedro [Porro] is back, Robertson is fit, Marmoush is good, Solanke is good. Lucas Bergvall, Savio [are out]I think nothing more. [Rodrigo] Bentancourt [is suspended].
Why do you think Tottenham have such a bad record at Chelsea?
I think it’s not just this negative record. There are many, many negative notes, but for me it is more of a motivation. For the players, I want this negative record, they give us more motivation, more mentality, more energy to win the game, to play well. Because we have enough qualities to win a game, this game.
How much do you enjoy big derby matches?
Yes, it’s a derby against a very good team, a very good coach, they have a clear style of play, great players, and Tottenham’s players are very good. The level of the players is high, we have to perform together as a team, not individually.
There were very famous fights at Chelsea, fights on the pitch. Maybe you should warn the players not to go too far?
Yes, where is the balance? It is always very difficult to balance energy, spirit, mentality and step inside. If you trust the player, you leave the player free to decide their behavior, to determine their reaction. Without a doubt, I prefer a very strong reaction to a bloodless, unresponsive player.”
You have faced “Chelsea” several times in the Premier League, and you have faced “Tottenham” at “Stamford Bridge” in May. Is there anything you think you can take away from this game that might help you develop a slightly different style of play?
I think every game is different. We change a lot of players, they change a lot of players, but in the last two seasons the coach, two coaches change. But nothing changes, you have to run, you have to fight, you have to show the behavior that we showed in the last two games.
And then there’s the game. To play with personality, with courage, to find a way to score goals, to find a way to defend with courage the best we can. Nothing more.
You had a lot of possession against Coventry, it will be different against Chelsea, your team will be more balanced when you don’t have the ball, what do you want to see from your players?
We kept the ball against Coventry, we didn’t create as many chances as we did in Manchester or Aston Villa. But there’s a reason, because when you find a low block that’s 5-4-1 or 5-3-2 or 4-4-1-1, it’s still difficult.
If you look at Man City vs Coventry, if Man City is considered one of the best teams in Europe, Man City didn’t score many goals either. Because it’s a completely different game from the more open game.
I think we could have got a great result in the last game against Chelsea last season. We conceded a stupid goal, but now the situation has completely changed.
Chelsea change tactically during games, how important is it that your players know how to deal with these changes on the pitch because you can’t always communicate?
We played three at the back against Coventry, we were predictable not because we played three at the back but because we played against one low block. We only conceded one counter-attack, I think we played very well consistently on the pitch, in the space we occupied. Tomorrow we can play three at the back, we can play four, as in the first round, nothing has changed.
Whether the game is more vertical or more controlled depends on the game. Also due to his behavior and attitude of the opponent. If the opponent comes strong in pressure, you will play more vertically.
If they stay on the low block, if they cover the line pass, you have more time in control, but maybe there’s less space between the line, less one-on-one space on the dribble. These are completely different games.
It’s great to see James Maddison start and Dejan Kulusevski back, but how have their bodies reacted physically since the game?
I don’t know because Maddison didn’t work with us for the first three days, I don’t know if she’ll be ready for tomorrow. We can also play with Mathys Tel, we can play with Marmoush, we can play with Gallagher or we have more solutions given that Pedro Porro can play.
As I have said many times, I don’t want to risk it because if you analyze this period of European football, you can see a lot of injuries, no. [just] For Tottenham, for everyone. So I don’t want to risk losing a lot of players in multiple games if I can.
And Kulusevski?
Kulusevsky too. Kulusevsky worked well, but in the early days he remained private.
Does Destiny Udogie exist?
No, it doesn’t exist.
With his injury history, is he someone you always have to carefully manage?
With the medical staff, we try to find the best way for him, because managing a player is a job anyway. But I haven’t worked with him since Manchester United and that’s a problem. We are lucky because we have many solutions in the same position.
Robertson, Ben Davies and Micky van de Ven, if we play you at the back. But we have to find the best for him, the best for us.
Wilson Odobert, who is close to returning to practice?
I don’t know because he hasn’t started working with us yet and I have no idea.
When you were manager of Brighton, what was it like for a club to keep signing your players?
What do you think?
Isn’t it great?
No, not at all. Yes, but they brought great players. There is nothing to say. Caicedo, Joao Pedro, Welbeck now, Robert Sanchez, Colwill but Colwill out on loan.
Does it motivate you more?
No, I’m always motivated. Chelsea or another team. You know when we work at Brighton, we work to make your club happy and your club happy, sometimes you have to sell players and players want or push to go to bigger clubs and that’s football. This is a normal part of football.
Are Joao Pedro, Rogers and Palmer the best trio in the Premier League?
Definitely one of the best. Talent, three big talents and they have Pedro Neto, another very good player, Henderson and Welbeck, Estavao, there are more than three players, but these three players are in the prime of their careers.
Do you feel fear in your players?
no.
What about the club, not the players, but the staff?
No. I don’t think so, because I only played one game with Chelsea as Tottenham manager. In any case, there must be one more motivation. No more problems for us. What is the problem? We haven’t played Tottenham in the past and I wasn’t the manager of Tottenham in the last seasons. This is not a problem. We already have many problems and this is not a problem.
Have you talked to the players about this?
No. Not yet.
are you planning
As I said, it can be a good motivation, but no one pressures. Just motivation.
It was a close game in May and you brought down Van de Ven but there was no penalty. Do you hope that the referee will be strong in the white-hot atmosphere tomorrow?
No, I don’t want to talk about the judge. No. We have to stay focused, stay focused on the ball, our game, our plan, our mentality and our energy and hang on. Nothing more.