Roberto de Zerbi reflected on a 2-1 triumph for Tottenham against Aston Villa.
The head coach defiantly defended the quality of his players before the trip to Villa Parkin his pre-match press conference on Friday, and the squad showed their determination in the Midlands.
‘There are a lot of positive things’
Tottenham had beaten Wolves 1-0 with a late Palhinha strike at the Molineux Stadium, but spirits were still low after losing Xavi Simonsand Dominic Solanketo injuries. West Hamhad also earned a last gasp 2-1 triumph over Everton because of a Callum Wilsonbrace, and they sat two points clear of their fellow London outfit with four games to go. But now, the mood is very different.
Spurs have won back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since the start of the season under Thomas Frank in August, and they have exploited a 3-0 loss for the Hammers against Brentford to move back out of the bottom three. The tide is turning, and de Zerbi is asking for more.
“I’m very happy, very pleased for the performance. We won a great game against a great Aston Villa. Okay, they have to play on Thursday, a very important game for them but, anyway, it's always very tough playing against Emery, against this Villa and in this stadium, a very nice stadium.
“[Villa] have to play one historic game on Thursday. They lost three days ago and I think they need two or three points, maybe less, to achieve another very important target. I think in football we love speaking about the project. Yes, in football, one of the not too many projects is like Aston Villa.
“In the last four years they have done school in terms of project, because I remember the first game, the beginning of Emery in Aston Villa, was at the bottom of the table and now they became one of the best teams in the Premier League. They deserve everything.
“In this stadium, I lost two games but when I have played against Aston Villa with Emery it has been all the time a very, very tough game, very difficult to find the line-pass to everything.
“For that I'm really pleased. I'm really pleased for the performance with the ball, without the ball. Without the ball we showed a great courage and with the ball, great qualities.
“We have to keep the focus on the improvement we have to do, because we have to play like the first half for 90 minutes. I didn't like the goal we conceded, but there are a lot of positive things today.
“[Confidence is building] the crucial thing now is to keep in our heads what was the situation before the Wolverhampton game. This is the most important memory to keep in our heads because in football it's very easy to change. If you lose you are stupid, if you win you are a champion.
“No, we have to find the balance. We have to work this week, because Leeds United is another very tough game and to remember in ourselves what we have done in the past, in the last month.
“You have to consider the league we are playing in. The Premier League is tough. If you suffer so many injuries, if you don't find a win for a long time, if you lose the confidence in yourself, game by game it becomes worse and worse. You have to stop. You have to find the right momentum to restart.
“Also Nottingham Forest is an important team, important club and important players: they suffered until one month ago. They were in a very bad situation and in the Premier League, that can happen."
