Roberto De Zerbi hailed the impact of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski after Tottenham beat Coventry City 3-1, insisting their presence has changed the atmosphere around the squad.
Maddison, who opened the scoring, started his first game in more than 500 days for Tottenham, while Kulusevski returned to action off the bench after around a year-and-a-half out.
“Very happy for the result, very happy for Maddison, and very happy for Kulusevski,” De Zerbi said.
“I think we played much better in other games, Old Trafford or against Aston Villa especially in the first half, Everton especially in the first half, Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, but credit to Coventry.
“They are different players, different talent, different experience, different personality.
“With them in the dressing room there is another atmosphere.”
De Zerbi believes the victory was important not only for the three points, but also for the belief it can give his side.
“The result is important but I think the most important thing can be two things,” he said.
“The first one, we understood we are able to win a game like other teams in the Premier League, and the second one if we put something more than ourselves, like we have done in the last two weeks.”
The Spurs boss also revealed he held a significant meeting with his players before the recent draw with Manchester United.
“The day before Old Trafford, we had a big meeting and spoke about the situation, that we can’t accept or move on if we don’t take more responsibility,” De Zerbi said.
“This week was important because we stayed together, spent time together, and they worked to build not a family but like a family.
“During the game, if you have a problem and there is a tough situation, you have to play for your team-mate, your friend, your brother, not like robots.”
De Zerbi also explained that Kulusevski’s late introduction was partly for the supporters, who had waited a long time to see the Swede back on the pitch.
“I called for Kulusevski just for the fans,” he said.
“They waited for him to come on the pitch and in the last five or ten minutes and extra time, we needed that support from the fans.
“They were fantastic with Kulusevski, with us.
“They suffered too much in the last two, three, four seasons, I don’t know, but they deserve to celebrate.”