adminTottenham host Brighton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening (5:30pm), with Roberto De Zerbi urging playmaker Xavi Simons to step up and make a decisive impact as Spurs battle to avoid relegation.
The North London side dropped into the bottom three last weekend after West Ham’s emphatic 4-0 win over Wolves, followed by De Zerbi’s losing start in charge at Sunderland.
That result extended Tottenham’s winless Premier League run to 14 matches. Summer signing Xavi, who cost £52 million, was limited to a brief substitute appearance at the Stadium of Light, continuing a concerning spell that has seen the Dutch international fail to start a league game since March 1.
It has been a challenging first season for the 22-year-old, who struggled to convince Thomas Frank and later fell out of favour under Igor Tudor during a poor seven-game stretch. However, with limited creative options available, the former Brighton boss now sees Xavi as a key figure in his plans.
Despite a modest return of four goals and five assists in 39 appearances, Xavi showed his quality with a standout display against Atletico Madrid in his last start. Notably, he has featured in 11 of Tottenham’s last 12 victories.
Speaking ahead of the crucial clash, De Zerbi emphasized the importance of Xavi expressing himself on the pitch.
He encouraged the midfielder to play with confidence and personality, insisting he does not want to alter his players’ natural style at such a critical stage. Whether for 20 or 30 minutes, De Zerbi believes Xavi can make a meaningful contribution.
When asked what Xavi must do to reach the next level in the Premier League, De Zerbi kept it simple: score goals, provide assists, and work hard off the ball. Drawing from his own experience as a player in a similar role, he stressed the importance of confidence while acknowledging that mistakes are part of the process.
In an effort to lift morale, De Zerbi recently organized a team outing in Mayfair, aiming to build unity within a squad low on confidence. He described his players as good people going through a difficult moment and called for stronger bonds on the pitch, urging them to support one another like brothers.
The Italian also dismissed distractions from elsewhere, including a viral video of Crystal Palace players dancing ahead of their own fixture.
Instead, he remains focused on Tottenham’s struggles, noting that the team cannot afford to worry about others while still searching for their first win of 2025. External opinions, he added, only serve as extra motivation during this challenging period.
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