Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has called on his players to maintain their ruthless hunger as they prepare to face Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Following an emphatic win over Chelsea last time out, Tottenham will face another London rival in Crystal Palace. De Zerbi’s side will be looking to build on consecutive Premier League victories.
Palace arrive in 17th place under new manager Pierre Sage, struggling for form and goals in recent weeks.
Despite Tottenham’s new form, De Zerbi insists his squad must stay grounded and hungry for more success.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, De Zerbi emphasized that two wins are merely a stepping stone rather than the final destination. “We have not achieved our goal. We want to make our fans happy, not now, at the end of the season,” De Zerbi stated.
”Now we have to push, we have to stay focused, we have to increase the spirit, the appetite to win games in a row… The step of this club is to win games in a row and to be angry day by day, game by game, win by win. One time or two times are not enough.”
Roberto De Zerbi will be eager to continue his winning streak against Crystal Palace. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
De Zerbi also confirmed that influential playmaker James Maddison has recovered sufficiently to feature against Palace despite managing his training load.
”James is available. He is a special player for us, a special player because he has unique characteristics, different than everyone,” De Zerbi noted.
The Italian manager also addressed Mathys Tel’s progress following his standout goal against Chelsea. “I’m proud and happy, but first of all for him, because I love working for the players, to improve the players,” De Zerbi explained.
”Mathys is working very hard. He’s a smart guy. He has a big, big potential. His improvement, I think, is making the decision, the last decision.”
