Roberto De Zerbi has urged his Tottenham players to treat Monday’s home game against Leeds with the same focus they brought to their wins over Wolves and Aston Villa, warning that Daniel Farke’s side are one of the most in-form teams in the Premier League.
Spurs go into the match in 17th place, nine points behind their opponents in the table with three games to play.
A defeat would leave De Zerbi’s side at risk of falling back into the relegation zone, while a win would reduce the gap to six and keep their survival hopes alive heading into the final fortnight of the season.
De Zerbi was quick to frame Leeds as far from a routine opponent.
“First of all we are playing against one of the best teams in the league, in this moment. In the last five or six games, they won against Manchester United, they drew in Bournemouth playing well, they won at home two times – Wolves and Burnley – and for that we have a big respect.
“We can’t think in a different way. We have to keep this mentality. We must remain humble. Nothing has changed. We have to prepare for an important game.”
Leeds have been transformed since Daniel Farke switched to a 3-5-2 formation in November, accumulating more points than most Premier League clubs since that tactical shift.
Monday’s game will test whether Spurs’ recent revival, built on two wins from three under De Zerbi’s reshuffled setup, can withstand a side playing with confidence at this stage of the season.
De Zerbi drew a direct line from those recent performances to what is required on Monday night.
“We have to focus on this type of game with this type of attitude, spirit and showing the qualities of the players.”
‘We are lucky to have Palhinha’
One of the questions heading into the match was on the future of loan midfielder Joao Palhinha, who returns to parent club Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
De Zerbi left no questions about how highly he values the Portuguese international, both as a player and as a person in the group.
“100%. We have to start from this type of people. More than players we need reliable people as well as reliable players and Palhinha is one of the best.
“As a player for sure, but as a guy, no? I want to see players with the same attitude, with the same passion, with the same spirit and personality. We are lucky to have Palhinha with us.”
On team news, De Zerbi struck an upbeat tone about the overall fitness of his squad but confirmed that goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains unavailable.
“I am happy because we are working well with the players. Another very important week. We have no problem.”
On Vicario specifically, De Zerbi said: “No, Vicario is not ready yet. I don’t know what will be the plan but he’s suffering because he would like to help the team and to help his team-mates but he’s not available yet.”
Monday’s match kicks off at 8pm and is live on Sky Sports. West Ham, one point below Spurs in 18th, host Arsenal on Sunday.
