De Zerbi on giving his players extra confidence in their bid to stay in the Premier League

Roberto De Zerbi insisted that one of his main “problems” as Spurs boss is creating confidence within his squad.

Despite having a squad of players that have won trophies including the Europa League, Ligue 1 and much more Spurs are currently in the midst of a relegation battle.

De Zerbi says one of the most important factors in whether Spurs stay up or not is the confidence he can create in the group.

“It’s another of my problems,” he explained. “I have too many problems.

“I love working in this part of my job. When I was a player, I wanted to work with the coaches available to help me to transfer more confidence, to believe, to show what was his idea about me. 

“Sometimes the coaches forget this part of our work, but in this part, I want to be the first level. I can’t lose on the pitch, I can’t lose something tactical. But in terms of relationship, I want to give my best with all players, I don’t want to forget anyone.”

Aston Villa are in the middle of two Europa League semi-final clashes against Nottingham Forest. They are currently 1-0 down in the tie and De Zerbi was asked if this will benefit Spurs.

“At Aston Villa, they have 20-22 players of first level,” he said. “Because Douglas Lewis, Bogarde, Bailey, Sancho, Abraham, Mings are not the second level. 

“It will be a tough game with the same players of yesterday. Or if he goes to change, I don’t know. But nothing changes at the level of the opponent.”