Scared! Roberto De Zerbi reveals the major crisis rocking Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur have found themselves in the relegation zone after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday afternoon.

Nordi Mukiele’s deflected 61st-minute strike was enough to condemn Spurs to their 16th Premier League defeat of the season and means they will finish a weekend in the bottom three for the first time.

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi failed to get a point in his first game and has insisted that the fear of relegation affected his players on Sunday.

Spurs last suffered relegation in 1977 but they have have not won a league game in 105 days, a move that prove their inconsistency.

Roberto De Zerbi suffered his first loss as Tottenham Hotspur manager on Sunday. (Photo by Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Asked if the prospect of relegation itself was the reason behind Tottenham’s problems, De Zerbi said: “I think so. If you ask me, I am 46 years old. I have much [more] experience than the players and I am positive absolutely because I know them as guys and players and for that I am positive, not because we are Tottenham or because I have to do positive [things].

“They have the quality to win one game and the target now, the closest target is to win one game because if we win a game, we can see everything in a different way.

“You know me as a coach but one very important part for my style of coaching is the mental part, to transfer the confidence of the players, to give what they need in terms of mentality and confidence.

“For that, we could play better because during the week they play better because their heads are clean. During the game, it is different for sure. My work to help them, to show them what they do during the week during the game.”

Despite the huge setback, De Zerbi insisted he is still optimistic Spurs would avoid relegation.

“We are inside a difficult moment,” he said. “My job is not now to change the style of play. We did two or three things with the ball, without the ball, but the crucial part is our mentality, to be positive. We have the quality to win a game when we win a game, we change everything.”