De Zerbi details team meeting behind Tottenham’s improved response

Roberto De Zerbi has described the internal discussions behind Tottenham’s improved response to setbacks, saying his players confronted their situation in a meeting before facing Manchester United. In his post-match press conference, transcribed by football.london reporter Alasdair Gold and published by AOL, he stressed the need for players to accept greater responsibility.

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The Tottenham head coach said spending time together during the following week had helped strengthen relationships. Asked specifically about the Marbella trip, however, he emphasised the players’ quality, particularly James Maddison’s, rather than presenting the training camp as the explanation for the result. He highlighted collective reactions after conceding against United and Coventry.

De Zerbi also warned that the team still needed to play better. He described Tottenham’s first-half possession against Coventry as slow and predictable, while crediting the visitors’ compact defending for making the match difficult.

The comments followed Monday’s 3-1 home victory, Tottenham’s first Premier League win of the season after six unsuccessful attempts. Sky Sports reported that Maddison opened the scoring in the 14th minute on his first competitive start since May 2025. Jack Rudoni equalised in the 49th minute before Omar Marmoush restored Tottenham’s advantage with his first goal for the club. Ben Davies completed the scoring in stoppage time.

Dejan Kulusevski’s return from the bench added another significant moment after 526 days out injured. De Zerbi told his press conference that Mohammed Kudus had been playing well enough to stay on, but he introduced Kulusevski partly to lift supporters and secure their backing for the closing stages. Speaking to Sky Sports News afterwards, Kulusevski said the experience of his recovery had changed him and that he felt ready to play again.

Maddison separately told Sky Sports that he had discussed returning to the starting line-up with De Zerbi during the week. He said he wanted to demonstrate the qualities Tottenham had missed during his absence. The victory moved Spurs into 16th place, level with Coventry on six points but ahead on goal difference.