‘Sunderland made us suffer’: De Zerbi desperate to boost Spurs’ confidence

Roberto De Zerbi diagnosed a lack of confidence as the root cause of Tottenham’s ills after his first match as manager ended in a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland. The result leaves Spurs in the relegation zone, two points adrift of 17th with six games remaining.

“We didn’t deserve to lose,” said De Zerbi after a match decided by Nordi Mukiele’s deflected second-half winner. “We played a good game, but maybe not good enough to win.

“I cannot say anything to the players because they gave their best in terms of attitude and spirit. We can play better but my work is not so much on the pitch as mental. They are all good guys and I feel sorry for them. I want to give them the confidence they need.”

Cristian Romero (left) leaves the field in tears after colliding with his Tottenham teammate Antonin Kinsky. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

As Tottenham’s third manager of an increasingly troubled season seeks the team’s first league victory since late December, De Zerbi could now be without his captain, Cristian Romero, who will have scans on a knee injury sustained during a second-half collision. “I don’t know,” the manager said when asked about Romero’s prognosis. “Hopefully it’s not too bad. We need him to finish the season.”

Confidence proved a recurring theme of the Italian’s post-match reflections as he suggested fear of relegation was haunting his players. Spurs are 18th and host De Zerbi’s former club Brighton on Saturday. “We don’t have the confidence to show our quality and play great football,” he said. “The players will play better when they are feeling confident. I’m sure if we are able to win a game everything will change. This is a tough moment for everyone and we have to respond with the right spirit.

“We didn’t play well enough to win this game, Sunderland made us suffer, but we can play better. I would like to help the players show what they can do. My job is not to change the style of play, the crucial part is confidence. I have to be positive. When we win a game we can start to change other things.

“The players are all suffering, they are suffering maybe too much. We have to find the energy. I believe in their qualities. We have to stay close, to stay positive and to believe in our work. For me as a coach the mental part is very important now. If we win a game everything will be different.”

Régis Le Bris was rather less troubled after his side moved into the top half. “We were a bit sloppy for the first 15 minutes but after that we were good,” the Sunderland manager said. “We still have room for improvement in the final third, we can be a bit more clinical, a bit more efficient, but the opponent wasn’t strong enough to beat us so I wasn’t too worried we didn’t get a second goal.

“I feel the players are ambitious. A top-10 finish is a good aim for us this season.”