Sunderland 1-0 Spurs | Every word of Roberto De Zerbi's post-match press conference

Roberto De Zerbi spoke to the media after our 1-0 loss against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Here's what he had to say...

Do you know more about Cristian Romero's injury?

Roberto: "We don't yet. We have to see the next days. I hope for us it's not too important a problem because he's a crucial player for us, a good guy, top player, big personality and we need him to finish the season and to achieve our goal."

Was is his knee?

Roberto: "Maybe yes, but I don’t want to say nothing until we know more."

What did you think about the match as a whole?

Roberto: "I think we played a good game, especially in the first half, with order, with the ball, without the ball. We had three clear chances to score, one with Solanke, one with Richarlison, another with Bergvall. We played well, but we didn't play well enough to win the game, because in the second half we suffered too much, to Sunderland, we lost 20-30 metres of the pitch. We had another important chance with Richarlison, just two minutes before conceding a goal. We can play better, we can do something more, as energy, as passion on the pitch, more enthusiasm. Yes, but now we are inside a difficult moment and I would like to help the players to show what they can do on the pitch, because we played a good game, but we can play much better than today. My job is not now to change the style of play. I did two or three things with the ball, two or three things without the ball, but the crucial part is not with the ball or without the ball. It's in our mentality to be positive, but to be positive just because we have the quality enough to win a game and when we go to win a game, we can change everything."

You brought Xavi Simons on quite late in the game...

Roberto: "Yes, why? Why? Because I changed three players, then after Romero's injury there was on the pitch Kolo Muani and Udogie. I didn't know when Udogie could finish, the energy to play, just for it. Without Romero's injury, Xavi would have come on before."

Are you concerned about the impact being in the relegation zone could have on the players mentally and psychologically?

Roberto: "You can see it during the game. First of all, the players are all good guys, and they are suffering for this moment. They are not happy when we lose the game or they are not happy to see Tottenham at the bottom of the table, for sure, but we have to find the energy, we have to find the right spirit to be positive, to think during the week when they stay with me, for sure, they will see a positive coach because I believe in their qualities. We are Tottenham, but we are not going to win the game just because we are Tottenham. You can't win the game with the paper. You have to win the game showing the quality on the pitch, the fighting on the pitch. You have to score the goal, and you have not to concede the goal, for sure. But, they are human, and they are suffering maybe too much and altogether we have to stay close, to be positive, to work, to improve in the details, in the football, but to be better as a mentality."

Did you learn anything new in your first game?

Roberto: "You know me as a coach, but one very important part for me, for my style of being a coach, is the mental part, is to transfer the confidence of the players, to give them what they need in terms of mentality, in terms of confidence. For that, I said we could play better because during the week they play better, because they are clear with their head, and during the game it's different for sure. My work is to help them to show what they do during the week, on the game, during the game."

Do you feel the fear of relegation itself is the problem?

Roberto: "I think so."

How can you change that?

Roberto: "If you ask me, I am 46 years old, I have more experience than the players and I am positive, absolutely, because I know them as guys and as players. And for that, I am positive, not because we are Tottenham or because I have to do positive. No. They have the quality enough to win one game and the target now, the closer target is to win one game because if we win a game we can see everything in a different way."