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De Zerbi must bring back belief quickly, says Kelly
TL;DR
Stephen Kelly emphasizes that new head coach Roberto De Zerbi must quickly instill self-belief in Tottenham players, as their performance declines significantly after conceding goals.
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Former Tottenham defender Stephen Kelly told BBC World Service's Sportsworld that new head coach Roberto De Zerbi needs to get his players to believe in themselves - and fast.
"When Spurs concede, they fall off a cliff," he said.
"They have no resilience and that's a really hard thing to try to get your team to believe in themselves in a short space of time.
"And Roberto De Zerbi is known to be pragmatic and studious with how he sets up his team. He just doesn't have that time. It's going to have to be something quick and something motivating, something to get those players to have a slightly different mindset to believe they can do it. That's what it will take to get them out of it but at the moment it is looking really bleak.
"The fear amongst all the Spurs fans is 'are we going to get relegated by Chelsea?'. It is going to come down to that. West Ham seem to have got a bit of momentum. There is something about Spurs, that they have no home wins this year.
"Someone sent me a message that said Northampton Saints Rugby team have more home wins in the Tottenham Stadium in 2026 than Spurs have.
"It's really worrying."
Q&A
What does Stephen Kelly say about Tottenham's performance under De Zerbi?
Stephen Kelly states that Tottenham lacks resilience and their performance deteriorates drastically after they concede a goal.
Why is self-belief important for Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi?
Self-belief is crucial for Tottenham because it can help the team recover from setbacks and improve their overall performance during matches.
What challenges does De Zerbi face as Tottenham's new head coach?
De Zerbi faces the challenge of quickly building his players' confidence and resilience, which is essential for overcoming their tendency to collapse after conceding goals.
