“Richarlison is a great guy because….”- Roberto De Zerbi explains why he loves Tottenham striker Richarlison’s face

Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach has opened up about his attacking options and why he believes they can turn the club’s season around. Roberto De Zerbi has praised Richarlison for his “pure” expression and is confident that the Brazilian, along with Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani, can rise to the occasion for a Tottenham side fighting relegation.

With only four matches left to rescue the north London club from dropping out of the Premier League—starting with Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa—De Zerbi faces an uphill battle. Eight players are sidelined with injuries, including several key attackers. Without Dominic Solanke, Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, or Wilson Odobert, and with James Maddison still not fit to start, the goal-scoring burden falls on the trio of Richarlison, Tel, and Kolo Muani.

Richarlison has previous experience beating relegation with Everton, netting vital goals that helped keep the Toffees up before his £60 million switch to Spurs in 2022. Now Tottenham’s leading scorer, he must draw on those memories to rescue his current club.

“Richarlison is a wonderful person because he’s deeply sensitive. I appreciate him both as a player and as a man. You can immediately read what he’s thinking from his face or his eyes—it’s pure,” De Zerbi said. “We need to create the right environment for him to score. I want all my attackers to have the right conditions to attack space, take shots, go one-on-one, play between the lines, and provide assists. In the second half against Wolves, we failed to do that.”

Richarlison has earned over 50 caps for Brazil, and De Zerbi feels that people—including the players themselves—have underestimated just how good his squad really is.

“That’s my challenge. I want to remind them every day of who they are and what they’ve accomplished,” he said. “Not just three, four, or five years ago—because Tottenham finished the Champions League league phase in fourth place this season.”

With Xavi Simons out due to an ACL injury, Tel is expected to get his chance on his preferred left flank. De Zerbi has high hopes for the 21-year-old, whom he previously tried to sign for Marseille.

“He’s a big talent with the potential to become a great player, and we need to help him reach that level because he has the right qualities,” De Zerbi said. “I regret having to play him out of position—he’s featured twice as a right winger, against Wolves and Brighton. His natural role is on the left, but against Wolves he was crucial in winning the corner that led to our goal. Now, without Xavi, Maddison, Odobert, and others, he might feel more at ease because he can prepare for a full week without worrying about whether he’ll play. That added responsibility could benefit both him and us.”

Can the France U21 international fulfill the promise that convinced Bayern Munich to sign him as a 17-year-old from Rennes?

“I don’t know, but this could be the perfect moment for him. Players become great when they recognize the right time to improve,” said De Zerbi. “Xavi Simons grew during my time here—his personality, confidence, and performances all reached a different level. I’m not sure if I deserve credit, but maybe he found the right position, the right belief, and understood the coach’s ideas, so he made the most of the opportunity.”

The final piece of the attacking puzzle is Kolo Muani, and De Zerbi wants him to remind everyone why PSG spent nearly £75 million to bring him in from Eintracht Frankfurt less than three years ago.

“Muani? He’s another one of my headaches—I have too many!” joked the Italian. “But they’re not really problems. I love this part of coaching because when I was a player, I wanted a coach who would work with me, give me confidence, help me believe, and show me his vision for my role. Sometimes coaches overlook this aspect of the job, but this is where I want to be top-level. I might lose matches or get outdone tactically, but when it comes to relationships, I want to give my all to every player and never leave anyone behind.”

Tottenham’s clash with Villa comes between two Europa League semi-final legs against Nottingham Forest, and Unai Emery may choose to rotate his squad. However, De Zerbi doesn’t expect that to significantly weaken the fifth-placed Premier League side.

“Aston Villa have 20 to 22 top-level players. Douglas Luiz, Bogarde, Bailey, Sancho, Abraham, Mings—these are not second-string players,” the Spurs head coach concluded.