De Zerbi calls on struggling Spurs to react in Man Utd clash

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi looks on during the defeat to Aston Villa. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Roberto De Zerbi has urged bottom-of-the-table Tottenham Hotspur to “react” to the pressure of their crunch clash with fellow strugglers Manchester United.

De Zerbi’s side head to Old Trafford on Saturday in dire need of a first Premier League victory this season.

The north London club has lost three of its first five top-flight matches and crashed out of the League Cup against Liverpool.

De Zerbi has been waiting for the chance to erase the bitter taste of a 3-2 home defeat against Aston Villa in Tottenham’s last match before the international break.

And, with scrutiny mounting on the Italian, the Spurs manager demanded his players rise to the challenge against United.

“I’ve been waiting for this game from three weeks. After the defeat at home against Aston Villa, personally I wanted to play the day after,” he told reporters on Friday.

“It was difficult, it was very tough, especially the first week. But it is football. It is part of the situation in this moment. We have to react, to work in this moment.”

Tottenham failed to score in its first four league games before finally finding the net twice against Villa.

De Zerbi conceded his team has to improve in attack if it is to climb out of the bottom three.

“We created chances to score many other goals in these seven games but we didn’t. We are working to improve in the last third, the assists and the finishing,” he said.

“We are fourth in the table for the team who brings the ball into the opponents’ area the most times.

“It is nothing but it shows we can arrive in the area. We are not good enough to score goals so far when we have clear chances.”

With United manager Michael Carrick also under pressure following its poor start, Tottenham’s trip to Manchester has been dubbed ‘El Sackicko’.

De Zerbi saved Tottenham from relegation after arriving late last season, but that final-day survival feat is unlikely to save him from the axe if results don’t improve soon.

“We are Tottenham. United and Tottenham are still big clubs in the Premier League,” he said.

“We have to deserve to work in this club, playing better and making different results.”