Aston Villa vs. Spurs: Roberto De Zerbi urges players to rally ahead of pivotal Premier League showdown

Head manager Roberto De Zerbi has claimed that "only losers cry" arsenic Tottenham Hotspur hole to look Aston Villa connected Sunday evening.

Despite last weekend's 1-0 triumph astatine Wolverhampton Wanderers, Spurs stay 2 points adrift of information successful the Premier League table.

Next up for Spurs is simply a showdown with Villa successful the West Midlands, a crippled which takes spot 26 hours aft the decision of West Ham United's travel to Brentford.

All eyes volition beryllium connected that crippled with Spurs facing the imaginable of being 5 points adrift from information if the Hammers prevail astatine the Gtech Community Stadium.

Nevertheless, De Zerbi has demanded that his Spurs squad amusement positivity earlier and during the crippled with Villa, insisting that it would 'not beryllium a miracle' if they grounds 3 points.

De Zerbi issues Spurs rallying cry

As quoted by The Guardian, the Italian said: "The astir important situation present is to soundlessness the dependable wrong of us, wrong the players, the unit and the fans. This dependable tin nutrient antagonistic thoughts.

"The dependable says: ‘We are unlucky, we person excessively galore injuries, we mislaid Xavi Simons – 1 of our champion players successful the past 2 games – our aesculapian unit is not bully enough, the transportation of the stadium is not good, the transportation of the grooming crushed is not good. It is intolerable to triumph 2 oregon 3 games successful a enactment due to the fact that we person not won excessively galore games successful 2026.’

“It is each antagonistic things. And it is rubbish. If Tottenham triumph successful Villa Park, it is not a miracle. We person the prime to win. If Solanke and Xavi are injured, we tin play with [Randal] Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel, Richarlison and they are not worse players. They are antithetic arsenic characters but are precise bully players. We person Pedro Porro, we person Udogie, we person Micky van de Ven, we person [Rodrigo] Bentancur, we person Palhinha, we person [Conor] Gallagher.

"I person heard: ‘It is impossible, we are crying and we are relegated.’ But no. Not yet. We person to dice connected the transportation and to dice connected the pitch, we person to suffer the game. Before we suffer the crippled we person to play, we person to fight.

"It is simply a pugnacious infinitesimal but the losers cry. The losers deliberation negative. I don’t privation radical adjacent to maine crying oregon reasoning successful a antithetic mode to me.”

Does De Zerbi person Spurs squad connected board?

Although Spurs did not showcase their existent prime against Wolves, a scrappy 1-0 triumph courtesy of a precocious extremity whitethorn beryllium what is required to fortify the resoluteness successful the ranks.

Conceding truthful precocious successful a 2-2 gully with Brighton & Hove Albion had the imaginable to marque De Zerbi's occupation harder than it already was, but Spurs present look to beryllium heading successful the close direction.

Injuries could play their part, yet De Zerbi and his Spurs squad volition person religion that they tin upset a Villa broadside who volition person 1 oculus connected the 2nd limb of their Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest 4 days later.