Roberto De Zerbi has responded to disappointment that Tottenham’s players will not arrive on the team coach before their Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday
Roberto De Zerbi has moved to clarify the misunderstanding that has seen Tottenham supporters denied the chance to greet the team bus on the High Road – just as they did before the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The Italian expects his players to arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their own cars four hours before Saturday’s Premier League home clash against Brighton & Hove Albion.
This is the same procedure De Zerbi followed while in charge of Albion, however, he’s willing to make amendments for Spurs’ next home fixture against Leeds on May 11 as he didn’t intend to disrupt the fans’ pre-match plans.
A statement released earlier this week by the organisers of the “Show Up. Sing Up. Stay Up” campaign noted they were “disappointed” to learn Tottenham’s players would not arrive at the ground by coach.
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De Zerbi said, addressing the issue: “I didn’t know the fans wanted to make this part again. I am very sensitive with the fans and what they want to do, I consider the fans in every team, like they are a player.“I didn’t know [their plans] but for the next time, if the people ask me to change the plan, no problem for me.”
The Tottenham boss added when asked to explain what Spurs’ final pre-match preparations will look like this weekend.
He explained: “Like Brighton, I organise the day of the game like we did in Brighton. [We arrive] Four hours before the game, we do a 40 or 45-minute meeting, then we have lunch and prepare for the game, nothing more.
“I don’t want to put pressure on the players with my plan but what the fans want to do, is good for us, it’s something more.”
With Tottenham now 18th and officially in the drop zone, De Zerbi claims he has too many problems of his own to worry about relegation rivals.
He replied when asked what he made of Oliver Glasner allowing Crystal Palace to have a boozy team night out in Florence before Monday’s clash against West Ham after reaching the UEFA Conference League semi-finals: “Listen, I am not used to thinking about too many other problems.
“We are full of problems but we are able to win tomorrow, for sure. The focus is on the win tomorrow and then we go to see the Crystal Palace games and all other results. We can’t lose time thinking about other teams if we are not able to win a game since 2025.”
De Zerbi did also note that Palace picked up two injuries on Thursday evening in Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix, suggesting he was in fact paying attention to events that could impact rivals.
The newly-appointed Spurs head coach also had clear and simple instructions for out-of-favour Xavi Simons, who has endured a frustrating debut campaign in N17.
When asked what Simons needs to do to play, De Zerbi said: “He has to score, he has to make assists and to run without the ball. Stop. It’s enough!”
De Zerbi also hinted the Dutchman could start on the bench against Brighton, indicating he could be set for a “30 or 20-minute” cameo.
He added: “He has a big personality on the pitch and I want him to play with his personality. I don’t want to change nothing with my players, especially in this part. Character, personality. And I think he can be important for us in this moment, I don’t know if for 30 minutes or 20 minutes, but I have this opinion about him.”
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