Roberto De Zerbi believes his Tottenham players are better than they think they are. After the 3-1 win over Coventry City, the Spurs head coach told the club’s own website that “the players, they don’t believe in themselves like I believe in them”, and that the squad has “great players”.
“We just need to believe more in ourselves”
De Zerbi said he did not want to add more on the subject, but the point was clear: the quality is there and the mentality has to catch up. “We just need to believe more in ourselves and to keep working with this mentality seriously,” he said, after a night that brought the first league win of the season and goals from James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies.
Tosin “deserves to play”, says De Zerbi
The coach singled out Tosin Adarabioyo, who made his first Premier League start for Spurs alongside Micky van de Ven and, in the club’s words, produced a typically calm and assured display. “I’m happy for Tosin, because he deserves to play,” De Zerbi said. “He’s great as a personality, as a behaviour, as a spirit. It’s important, crucial in the dressing room.” He also praised Marcos Senesi, who he said played very well at Old Trafford.
Kulusevski an “example for every one of us”
De Zerbi also spoke about Dejan Kulusevski, who came off the bench for his first action since 11 May 2025. “He’s a different player. He’s a great guy, but he’s an example for every one of us,” the coach said. De Zerbi explained that he brought Kulusevski on late because he knew the fans wanted to see him, and that the team needed their support at that moment. “They are fantastic with Kulusevski, with us, they suffered too much in the last two, three, four seasons, I don’t know, but they deserve to celebrate many, many wins.”
It was also Maddison’s first start since 1 May 2025, which made Monday a night of returns as much as a first league win of the season under De Zerbi.
