Roberto De Zerbi has revealed the meeting that helped reverse Tottenham’s fortunes as they secured their first win in eight years at Stamford Bridge with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Chelsea.
An own goal from stand-in Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders and a solo goal from Mathys Tel, either side of a red card for Cole Palmer, saw Spurs win for just the second time in their last 42 attempts at Stamford Bridge.
Spurs have looked revitalised since returning from the extended international break, taking seven points from their last three games to rise up to 12th in the Premier League table, and De Zerbi credits a “big, big meeting” before their 1-1 draw with Manchester United two weeks ago for their reversal in fortunes.
“I think we are working to change the mentality of our club in the last seasons,” De Zerbi said post-match.
“Seven points after Manchester, before Manchester we spoke a lot. A big, big meeting, removing the mask and speaking honestly, clearly in front of ourselves. And from that moment, I think we changed something in ourselves.”
De Zerbi has spoken at length about changing the mentality of his players after a bruising couple of seasons, but he placed his trust in youngsters Archie Gray, Mateus Fernandes and Mathys Tel against Chelsea and was rewarded handsomely.
“Changing the spirit of the group (is important), changing the performance of the players, especially the more fragile players, maybe the younger players,” De Zerbi continued.
“Mateus Fernandes maybe was one of the best players on the pitch like Mathys Tel. Archie Gray is younger, but he's older as a mentality. I'm very, very happy.”
On Fernandes, who goaded Palmer into picking up the first of his two yellow cards as he swiped the ball away with his hand following a breakaway, De Zerbi said he was proud of the fight his players showed as they held their nerve on a feisty evening in west London.
He added: “I love watching my players fighting on the pitch. But Mateus Fernandes played 90 minutes with a big, big quality. I want to see Mateus Fernandes with personality. I want to see Fernandes enjoy with the ball. Even if he can make a mistake, it doesn't matter. It's not a problem, a mistake. But I want to see this personality from my team.
“We are a big club. In the last period, the results have been not so good. But we are a top club in the Premier League. We must show personality. We must show mentality. We must show our qualities to the players. Otherwise, we have to change.”