What happened with the Tottenham manager? Despite defeating Villa and escaping the relegation zone, he says, "I am not happy"... Aims for a perfect record in the remaining three matches

*This content was translated by AI.

Roberto De Zerbi (47), manager of England's Tottenham, warned that the battle for survival is not over despite escaping the relegation zone.

On the 4th (Korean time), Tottenham secured a 2-1 away victory against Aston Villa in the 35th round of the 2025-2026 English Premier League (EPL) match held at VillaRafah in Birmingham, UK. As a result, Tottenham recorded a season record of 9 wins, 10 draws, and 16 losses (37 points), moving up from 18th to 17th place in the league.

Meanwhile, West Ham (9 wins, 9 draws, 17 losses, 36 points) dropped to 18th place, the relegation zone. Earlier, West Ham suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat against Brentford in the same round. They failed to capitalize on their luck, hitting the opponent's goalposts four times. Tottenham did not miss this opportunity, winning against Villa and boosting their chances of survival.

On this day, Tottenham took the lead in the 12th minute of the first half with a surprise long-range goal by Conor Gallagher. They then pushed forward with attacks. Joao Palhinha's long-range shot hit the goalpost and came out, but in the 25th minute of the first half, Brazilian striker Richarlison scored an additional goal with a header. Tottenham then worked hard to protect the victory. Although they conceded one goal in stoppage time of the second half, there was no major issue in securing the three points. Tottenham achieved a two-game winning streak after their first win of the year against Wolverhampton last month.

However, despite the valuable victory, Manager De Zerbi did not celebrate greatly. He made it clear that the nail-biting battle for survival is not over. According to the British news agency Reuters, after the victory against Villa, De Zerbi stated, "We must not forget the situations before the Wolverhampton match. The season is not over yet, and we cannot celebrate just because we have won two games in a row." He emphasized, "We must continue with the same mindset. For now, I do not want to hear good words; I want to focus entirely on the next match. We must feel the same pressure as before."

The remaining schedule is not bad. Tottenham will face Leeds United, Chelsea, and Everton. While the Chelsea match is challenging, the remaining two teams have sufficient strength to aim for victory as lower-tier teams. On the other hand, West Ham will face Arsenal, Newcastle, and Leeds. Arsenal is in first place in the league, and Newcastle also possesses top-tier strength.

Nevertheless, Manager De Zerbi said, "Football can change every week. We must never forget the desperation we had before facing Wolverhampton. We must push forward again." He added, "My role is to instill confidence in the players, make them believe in themselves, and help them move away from a defeatist mentality. We must show passion, our values, humility, and pride."

The De Zerbi effect this season is clear. Now, Tottenham is looking toward hope for survival rather than worrying about relegation. Reuters also praised, "De Zerbi lost his first match in charge against Sunderland and suffered a heartbreaking moment in the second match against Brighton, conceding an equalizer in stoppage time to record a 2-2 draw. However, he quickly instilled belief and confidence in the struggling and injury-hit Tottenham squad."

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*This content was translated by AI.