Roberto De Zerbi has warned Tottenham’s players that their futures at the club are on the line in Sunday’s crucial Premier League clash with Everton. A point would almost certainly keep Spurs above West Ham on goal difference, but defeat could leave them facing relegation for the first time since 1977.
Tottenham missed the chance to secure safety after losing to Chelsea in midweek, their first defeat in five matches. They have lost 10 home games this season and have not won at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since the start of December, leaving their confidence fragile.
De Zerbi dismissed suggestions the players do not care, insisting they have suffered too much. “Maybe they didn’t know how they can go out of this situation,” he said. “But there is just one solution: to be strong, to be stronger than the atmosphere or the injuries.”
The Italian acknowledged that every member of the squad is playing for their future at the club. He has arranged for the team to spend the night together before the match and arrive on the team bus to “create the right atmosphere” and manage the pressure.
De Zerbi, who signed a five-year contract in March after replacing interim head coach Igor Tudor, reaffirmed his commitment to stay even if Spurs are relegated. “It’s still an honour to be a coach for Tottenham,” he said. “I consider football something more than the table.”
