The secret behind Tottenham's first win: a "team-building trip in Spain"... Roberto De Zerbi, "We no longer run like robots"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Tottenham Hotspur, the former club of Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), escaped the relegation zone by securing a long-awaited first victory in their seventh match of the season. Manager Roberto De Zerbi (47) cited a team meeting and a team-building trip as the keys to their turnaround.

The British media outlet "The Guardian" reported on the 20th (Korean time), "Tottenham has shown significantly improved cohesion after holding an open and candid meeting just before their recent match against Manchester United."

On that day, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, in the home game of Matchday 7 of the 2026-2027 English Premier League (EPL) season, Tottenham defeated Coventry 3-1. It was their first league win in a whopping 148 days and the latest first victory among the 92nd clubs across England's top four divisions. With this result, Tottenham jumped from last place to 16th with one win, three draws, and three losses (six points).

After Son Heung-min's departure, Tottenham had been struggling in the relegation zone. The club poured over 308 million pounds (approximately 546.5 billion won) into the summer transfer market. However, they suffered from a severe lack of goals, managing only three goals before their first win.

The signal for the turnaround was fired by James Maddison. Maddison, who had torn his right anterior cruciate ligament during a tour in Korea last August, made his starting appearance after one year and five months (536 days). In the 14th minute of the first half, he connected with a pass from Mohamed Kudus with a right-footed non-stop curling shot to score the opening goal.

Tottenham conceded an equalizer to Coventry's Jack Rudoni in the fourth minute of the second half, but Omar Marmoush scored his first goal since joining the club in the 13th minute of the second half to regain the lead. Subsequently, Ben Davies, who came on as a substitute during stoppage time in the second half, sealed the victory with a decisive goal. Dejan Kulusevski also returned from a serious knee injury sustained in May 2025, coming off the bench to make his comeback appearance.

Manager De Zerbi praised the players' attitude. He emphasized, "We realized that we can win too. We must take responsibility for ourselves if we are to move forward."

Last week, Tottenham went on a pre-season training camp and team-building trip to Marbella, Spain. Manager De Zerbi said, "I wanted the players to bond like family," adding, "We should not be 11 robots on the pitch; we must play for our friends and brothers." He also welcomed the return of injured players, stating, "The atmosphere in the locker room changed with the addition of two players."

Meanwhile, Coventry manager Frank Lampard expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing decisions. He claimed that Marmoush had elbowed Milan van Ewijk during the goal-scoring sequence. Manager Lampard swallowed his disappointment, saying, "I naturally expected the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to disallow the goal."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original