Mentality must change to avoid drop, says Tottenham's De Zerbi

SUNDERLAND, England, April 12 : Changing the mentality of his Tottenham Hotspur players, not the style of football, will be the key to avoiding relegation, new manager Roberto de Zerbi said on Sunday after his first game in charge ended in a 1-0 defeat by Sunderland.

Defeat stretched Tottenham's winless Premier League run to 14 games and left them in 18th place and in serious danger of the drop for the first time since 1977.

De Zerbi, hired to replace the hapless Igor Tudor who himself lasted only 44 days after replacing Thomas Frank, got his first look at his players in the heat of battle at the Stadium of Light.

While he witnessed plenty of fighting spirit, there was little else to hearten the Italian who now has six more games to save the London club from the ignominy of second-tier football.

"My job is not now to change the style of play. I did two or three things with the ball, two or three things without the ball, but the crucial part is not with the ball or without the ball. It's in our mentality to be positive," he said.

"We have to find the right energy, the right spirit. When they stay with me during the week, they will find a positive coach because I believe in them. They are human and maybe they are suffering too much.

"We have to stay all together and close and improve in the details of the football, but to be better as a mentality."

De Zerbi is probably correct to suggest that the time for wholesale changes to the set-up of the side is long gone.

After 32 games, Tottenham have 30 points and are two points behind West Ham United in 17th spot. They have picked up one point from the last 24 on offer and unless he can pull the team out of their tailspin, survival looks highly unlikely.

Next up is a clash with De Zerbi's