Roberto De Zerbi issued a rallying cry to his deflated Tottenham players and insisted they can win their last five Premier League games this season to avoid a catastrophic relegation.
Spurs will spend another week in the bottom three after they suffered heartbreak in a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton when Georginio Rutter’s stoppage-time leveller denied them a first league win of 2026.
A thunderbolt by Xavi Simons after 77 minutes sent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into pandemonium, but the north London club’s winless league run stands at 15 matches after late drama in N17 followed Pedro Porro’s opener being cancelled out by a sumptuous Kaoru Mitoma volley.
Even though Spurs’ players collapsed at full-time, De Zerbi claimed to be more confident of survival after he picked up the first point of his reign against old club Brighton.
West Ham are a point ahead of Tottenham in 17th ahead of Monday’s trip to Crystal Palace, but De Zerbi backed his squad to win their remaining matches with Wolves, Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea and Everton to avoid a first relegation since 1977.
“I always thought and believed in the quality of the players,” De Zerbi insisted.
“They played a good game, I think we can play better than today with much more quality and more calm, especially when we are in possession, but in this moment we need this spirit, this attitude and this mentality.
“It is not finished yet. We have another five games. It is tough. Every one of us knows it is a tough moment, it is a difficult situation, but we have another five games and 15 points.
“This team is able to win five games in a row. Now it is difficult to hear my words, but if you watch the players and analyse the level of the players, I think we can win five games in a row.
“Not to be arrogant because I am not arrogant, especially now, but we have the quality enough to fight and win games in a row.”
When De Zerbi was asked how he would lift his players, the Italian fired a warning to any member of the club down in the dumps.
De Zerbi added: “They have to be stronger and be focused longer and come to (the) training ground on Monday afternoon with a smile otherwise they go home.
“I have no time to see negative people or to see sad players or (a) sad assistant. No, we are lucky because we are working at a big club, a big stadium, we are working in Premier League and we have the quality, the right quality to win the game – so we have to be positive. I don’t like the people who cry and who think in (a) negative way.”
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler echoed the sentiments of De Zerbi and backed Spurs to stay up.
“Yeah, definitely. I also could say before the game. What they have is individual quality. I think they have unbelievable players in their squad,” Hurzeler reflected.
“They have players in their frontline that can make a difference. They have enough quality in their squad to make it happen.”
Brighton are ninth and a point behind seventh-placed Brentford in the battle for European qualification.
“In the end it’s a point and a point we will take. It’s a point we can make really positive and that’s our responsibility,” Hurzeler said.
