De Zerbi determined to banish 'negative thoughts' as Spurs battle for survival

Tottenham claimed their first Premier League victory since December by overcoming the league's bottom club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, at the weekend, yet they suffered a substantial blow with attacking midfielder Xavi Simons picking up a torn cruciate ligament that will keep him out until next season.

De Zerbi's squad heads to fifth-placed Aston Villa on Sunday, and the head coach, in the role for the past month, is keen to eradicate the pessimism enveloping the side's form.

"Listen, I want to be clear one time. The most important challenge now is to silence the voice inside of us, inside of the players, inside the staff, the fans," he stated to journalists on Friday.

"This voice produces negative thoughts and the voice says 'we are unlucky, we have too many injuries. We lost Xavi Simons and he was in the last two games one of the most important players for us.

"'Our medical staff is not good enough, the pitch of the stadium is not good... winning two or three games in a row is impossible because we hadn't won a game in 2026'. I think it's all negative things and it's rubbish."

De Zerbi emphasised that attention must turn to the capabilities of Tottenham's squad, which has gathered four points across the previous two fixtures.

"We go to play against one of the best teams... but if Tottenham win at Villa Park it's not a miracle. Maybe we lose but we have the quality to win this game. It’s not a miracle. We have to be positive," he remarked.

Maddison can play a role

De Zerbi mentioned that midfielder James Maddison, back among the substitutes but not yet featuring following his cruciate ligament issue from August, could contribute in the closing matches.

"I'd like to play with him because he is a special player but we have to consider physical condition, a lot of things, but I think he can be important in the next three games," the coach noted.

The Italian vowed that Tottenham, who ended the prior campaign in 17th spot, will leave no stone unturned in the summer window to prevent a repeat of their difficulties.

"In summer we can do everything. Everything. We have a lot of time to spend speaking about football, about the transfer market, about everything we can improve. We will," he affirmed.