Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi says his side’s 3-1 victory over Coventry marked an important change in mentality, while confirming that the players substituted during the match did not suffer serious injuries.
The result was Tottenham’s first Premier League win of the season and lifted the mood around the club after a difficult start.
“First, it’s very important for our position in the table, because looking at the table has been painful for us,” De Zerbi told the club’s official media. “We deserved this win. We deserved to win today, and also in the previous few matches.”
De Zerbi admitted Tottenham’s performance was not their best, particularly in the first half, but said Coventry had contributed to the difficulty of the contest. The visitors defended with a compact low block and kept their players close together, while Tottenham’s passing lacked sufficient speed.
“Our play in the first half was too predictable,” he said.
The manager explained that using a back three was partly a consequence of injuries in midfield. Gallagher had been unavailable earlier in the week, while Matheus Fernandes had remained in Portugal until Thursday or Friday.
Despite those issues, De Zerbi was pleased with the players’ response, which he said had been evident since the previous match at Old Trafford. Tottenham reacted after receiving a red card and conceding a goal in that game, then showed similar resilience against Coventry.
“We proved that we didn’t want to accept a draw, nor the score after conceding a goal,” De Zerbi said. “This is very important, even crucial.”
He also praised the team’s ability to finish chances, with James Maddison scoring a notable goal and Omar Marmoush making a major contribution. De Zerbi said he had greater faith in the squad than the players appeared to have in themselves.
“I truly believe that we have a very good squad with many excellent players,” he said.
De Zerbi singled out Tosin Adarabioyo for praise, saying the defender deserved more playing time and had shown excellent character, behaviour and mentality. He described Tosin as a highly important figure in the dressing room. He also referred to Senesi’s performance at Old Trafford and urged the squad to keep working while developing greater belief.
Dejan Kulusevski was introduced late in the match, a decision De Zerbi said was influenced by the supporters’ desire to see him play.
“He is a unique player and a fantastic person. He is a role model for all of us,” De Zerbi said, adding that Tottenham currently needed strong backing from the fans.
Tosin, Andy Robertson and Omar Marmoush were among those substituted, but De Zerbi said there was no significant concern. Tosin and Robertson had only experienced minor problems, and he did not expect either player to be ruled out of Saturday’s match.
