De Zerbi on Maddison, mentality and why 'losers cry'

TL;DR

Tottenham's Roberto de Zerbi emphasizes the need for a positive mentality ahead of the match against Aston Villa. He discusses player availability, including James Maddison, and the importance of focusing on performance despite recent setbacks.

Key points

Roberto de Zerbi addresses the need for a positive mentality.
James Maddison's availability is uncertain due to physical condition.
De Zerbi believes negativity in football needs to be addressed.

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Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Villa Park (kick-off 19:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

De Zerbi started his news conference by addressing what he says is the "most important challenge now" which is to "silence the voice inside of us".
He added: "This voice produces negative thoughts and the voice says we are unlucky, we have too many injuries. I think it's all negative things and it's rubbish. I want to keep the focus on ourselves and the quality of my players. It's not the best moment for us, a tough moment, but the losers cry, they think negative and I don't want people close to me crying or to think a different way than me. I heard no, it's impossible, we are crying, everyone, we are relegated, no? Not yet and we have to die on the pitch. We have to play, we have to fight, we have two points less than West Ham."
On facing Villa he said: "We go to play against one of the best teams in this moment in the Premier League 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."
On whether James Maddison will play against Aston Villa or Leeds, De Zerbi added: "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."
De Zerbi confirmed Guglielmo Vicario is not available, while Dominic Solanke will be out for the Villa game with a hamstring injury, with no timeframe offered for his return. Destiny Udogie is available according to the Spurs boss but he does not know if he will be able to start.
Asked whether there is too much negativity in football, he said: "Yes. We [have] a lot of injuries, we lost two points with Brighton and in we conceded one stupid goal and didn't deserve to lose the game, just in my time."

Q&A

What did Roberto de Zerbi say about James Maddison's availability for the Aston Villa match?

Roberto de Zerbi mentioned that James Maddison is a special player but his participation will depend on his physical condition.

What is Roberto de Zerbi's perspective on negativity in football?

De Zerbi acknowledged that there is a lot of negativity in football, particularly due to injuries and recent match losses, and he aims to change this perspective.

What are the key challenges Roberto de Zerbi highlighted before the Aston Villa game?

De Zerbi emphasized the challenge of silencing negative thoughts and maintaining focus on the team's quality and performance.