De Zerbi: Tottenham Have Not Received a Penalty in the Last Two Seasons? I Think It Is Just a Coincidence

At 22:00 Beijing time on September 5, Tottenham Hotspur will face Nottingham Forest away from home in the third round of the Premier League. After the media blackout period ended, the confidential section of Tottenham head coach De Zerbi's pre-match press conference was released. This article covers the first part of that content.

Tottenham have not been awarded even a single penalty so far this season. In fact, they also did not receive any penalties at all in last season's Premier League campaign. I believe Harry Kane scored Tottenham's last Premier League penalty. What do you think is the reason behind this? Why has this happened? Perhaps, have you communicated with the professional referees' organization about this matter?

No, no, no, no, no. As a head coach, I already have a large number of extremely difficult issues to deal with. I cannot get distracted by referees and waste my energy and focus on this. I think it is purely just a coincidence, yes.

Let's talk about the injured players. Kulusevski has returned to training. Is there a timetable for him?

Kulusevski started training with us at the beginning of this week, but in the final two days, a small, extremely minor injury issue interrupted him. However, I think his recovery is going well and he is getting back on track. Everything is progressing very smoothly. I have said before that our medical team is very strong, so I think we can remain very positive and optimistic about his recovery. I am also looking forward to getting Deki back into the squad as soon as possible.

So this minor injury issue should not keep him out of training for too long, right?

No, no, no. It has had no impact. It is not an important or serious problem.

The final question is about signing Mudryk and some of the transfer targets you seem to have. When considering these signings, have you consciously tried to avoid blocking Luka Williams-Barnett's pathway toward the first team? Is this something you have carefully considered?

Yes, yes, but he is still very young, truly too young. If a suitable match situation appears in the future and I can put Luka on the pitch, I will absolutely do so. But in any case, we must manage and develop him, as well as another excellent young player Malachi (Hardy), in the most proper and suitable way.

Let's return to what you just mentioned about working with Mudryk. Shakhtar Donetsk's situation was clearly very special, and with the outbreak of war, their circumstances became extremely difficult. Can you share more details with us? What was it like training and working with him in such a challenging and unique environment?

I kept him at the time. I personally promoted him from the U21 team and brought him into the first team. I gave him that important starting opportunity, allowing him to start against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. At that time, he was very, very young, only 20 years old, yes, just 20, and he performed quite well. It was his first full season with the first team, so at that stage he sometimes performed exceptionally well and sometimes had ups and downs, but that is part of the growth process for young players.

After that, he left Shakhtar Donetsk and joined Chelsea. I think he paid a huge psychological and public opinion price because it was a completely different league, a new country, and a giant club with a completely different scale and level. He also carried enormous pressure and responsibility because he knew his transfer value and knew the huge fee Chelsea paid to acquire him.

But for a young player with the potential to become a top superstar, is it not a normal part of development to go through these difficulties? Now, I think he is 25 years old, and he is at the right stage to spend the prime years of his career at a top club. I believe this is the best opportunity for him to fully show his true ability.

Can you feel in him a stronger desire than most players to prove himself to the world? Because honestly, during the early period after he arrived in the Premier League, before the suspension came, he did struggle somewhat. Then the suspension happened, but fortunately it has now been properly resolved. I can imagine that deep inside, he must have been carrying a great deal of frustration and motivation to prove himself...

Yes, I hope this can become the key to unlocking his potential. But Mudryk truly loves football; he is someone born for the game. In terms of professional attitude, mentality, and his firm belief in hard work, I have rarely seen many players reach his level. During regular midweek training sessions, his training intensity and workload are often twice that of his teammates. Perhaps in official matches, he still needs to focus more on the ball itself, on the team's overall tactical operation, and demand more from himself to release more energy, because his true talent and qualities are much stronger than what he has shown so far.

The final question: this transfer window has been unprecedentedly crazy in terms of bringing in new players. At Tottenham, I think we have never previously seen the club's leadership invest such huge amounts of money in signings. You also said last week that the number of completed transfers exceeded your expectations, which has certainly excited Tottenham's loyal supporters. But after these major moves, does this create additional pressure on you to deliver satisfactory results?

No, I do not think so. I am very happy at the moment. Our work has been highly effective, and I think the club completed a series of very good operations in this transfer market. I do not feel a heavy burden because we spent a lot of money, because in my view, other major Premier League clubs are also spending heavily on players, and they may have spent much more than us. So this is not really pressure. The real pressure always comes from how to play well and how to get the desired points and results as quickly as possible. That pressure definitely does not come from the transfer market or how much money is spent.