2 weeks ago
Roberto De Zerbi says nan thought that “everyone wants Tottenham relegated” ought to motivate his players arsenic they look to group speech nan club’s dismal grounds against Chelsea astatine Stamford Bridge to get nan consequence they request to enactment up.
Spurs person won erstwhile astatine Stamford Bridge since 1990 but they request only a tie connected Tuesday nighttime to each but guarantee they past successful nan Premier League and West Ham spell down.
De Zerbi has spoken to his squad astir nan Stamford Bridge hoodoo but chiefly to show them it is not thing to interest about. He has been each astir nan powerfulness of affirmative thought since he came to nan nine 5 matches agone and he leaned into it erstwhile he addressed those who would revel successful Spurs’s demise.
“I americium Italian and successful Italy it’s nan same,” De Zerbi said. “For nan biggest teams, it’s nan same. We person to judge nan pressure. We person to bask this pressure. We person to find caller information from this pressure. It’s a bully point for us. If everyone wants Tottenham relegated, it’s a large information for maine and I dream for my players arsenic well.
“We person to judge that shot is bully because of nan rivalries. It’s bully to ideate ourselves celebrating nan triumph successful their stadium. If everyone wants Tottenham relegated, I deliberation for 1 Tottenham player, 1 Tottenham fan, each nan group who activity wrong Tottenham, it has to beryllium nan biggest motivation.”
Spurs’s lone occurrence astatine Stamford Bridge successful caller decades came successful nan convention nether Mauricio Pochettino successful 2018 erstwhile Dele Alli scored doubly to animate a 3-1 win. De Zerbi made nan constituent that when he took complete from Igor Tudor astatine nan extremity of March, Spurs had not won successful nan convention since 28 December astatine Crystal Palace. But aft they hit Wolves successful his 3rd match, they followed it up pinch a triumph against Aston Villa to climb retired of nan bottommost three.
“We said this greeting astir this grounds [at Stamford Bridge],” De Zerbi said. “But nan astir important is nan spirit, nan characteristic for tomorrow – to play a bully game, to make points. I explained that nan past triumph earlier Wolves was 28 December and past we won 2 games successful a row. It’s not nan grounds that is important. It’s nan mood, really you spell to play nan game.”
De Zerbi reported that Dominic Solanke was still injured but Guglielmo Vicario was disposable again. The head will make a determination astir whether to callback his No 1 goalkeeper aliases instrumentality pinch Antonin Kinsky. He made it sound arsenic though he would support religion pinch Kinsky.
The crippled will operation memories of nan infamous Battle of nan Bridge successful May 2016 erstwhile 12 players were booked, 9 from Spurs. It vanished 2-2, a consequence that ended Spurs’s title situation and crowned Leicester arsenic nan champions. This play Spurs person nan worst disciplinary grounds successful nan convention pinch 91 yellowish cards and 4 reds. Chelsea person nan second-worst pinch 81 yellows and 7 reds. De Zerbi will accent nan request for cool heads.
“Always calm pinch nan blood, pinch personality, pinch nan correct spirit,” he said. “Focus conscionable connected nan game. Because successful our past 1 against Leeds [the 1-1 draw], erstwhile Kinsky saved [in stoppage time], we went excessively strong, excessively fast, excessively beardown connected nan ball. Sometimes we person to beryllium much calm.”
