De Zerbi: Signing Mudryk Was Not a Last-Minute Decision, He Was Our Perfect Piece

At 22:00 Beijing time on September 5, Tottenham Hotspur will face Nottingham Forest away 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 is the third part of the content.

Regarding Mudryk, may I also ask a question? Before signing him, did he need to explain or prove something to you to convince you that he still maintained the same top physical condition, competitive fitness, hunger for the game, and ambition? Is he still the same spirited player he was back then? After all, with almost no official matches to play over the past two years, how did he manage to maintain such a high level of condition and mentality while being away from competition?

No, he didn't need to. I know his character, personality, and player qualities very well. I think what your colleague mentioned just now about motivation hit the nail on the head; it is very important. Over the long season ahead, we will see together whether he can cherish and respect his talent and whether he can live up to the extraordinary ability he possesses.

Was the club's decision to consider and sign Mudryk a sudden idea that appeared at the last moment, or had he always been on your recruitment radar and in your plans?

It was not in the final days of the transfer window... Yes, it was not a last-minute decision made at the very end, but a choice we made after weighing everything in those final days.

I think you are fully aware of the intense rivalry between the two London clubs Chelsea and Tottenham. Some Tottenham fans may currently have concerns: you could transform Mudryk into an outstanding and elite striker, he could score 20 goals in a brilliant season here, and then after the season ends he could simply return fully fit to his parent club Chelsea?

Yes, but as a coach, I have neither the authority nor the ability to decide or interfere with the specific operations and various clauses involved in transfer negotiations. At that crucial moment, we urgently needed reinforcements on the left side because at the time we only had Mathys Tel as a natural left-sided player available. I believed Mudryk was the perfect and most suitable piece for us at that point in the transfer window. He also strongly wanted to join us. Although he had one or two other offers from different clubs at the time, he still gladly accepted and chose us. From my perspective, this has been a win-win solution that benefits all parties.

After suffering the heavy blow of two consecutive defeats, how can you ensure the team maintains enough morale and confidence internally? Although the process and performances in these matches were acceptable, there is no denying that we ultimately suffered defeats...

Good performance? The last match... No, I believe that during the entire first 60 minutes of the last game, our whole team showed a very high competitive level and excellent performance. It may not have been perfect or dominant, but it was absolutely enough to win that match. The performance in the first game was truly terrible and unacceptable, but I have already put that unpleasant experience completely behind me. No, that is in the past now.

I firmly believe that we need to be patient and rebuild this new starting lineup. We must realistically establish a long-term team-building plan. We only closed the transfer market four days ago, and just yesterday we had our first training session with all our new signings in place and all key players available. Therefore, we have a great deal of training and integration work that must be pushed forward without delay. Our overall understanding is not yet at its peak, but regardless, at this moment we already have the fundamental strength needed to fight for and win matches.

Because if our expected goals in the away match against Newcastle United were overwhelmingly 2.18 to 0.80, that objectively reflected the nature and reality of the match. Newcastle United are an outstanding Premier League team with high-level players and a quality head coach, and they do many things well. But before the turning point in the 60th minute, it was Tottenham who controlled everything on the pitch and dominated both attack and defense. Tottenham created far more clear scoring opportunities, controlled possession, penetrated and attacked the opponent's penalty area more frequently and dangerously, and held overwhelming advantages in almost all key attacking statistics, including total shots, crosses, and corners.

But unfortunately, the result was that we lost the match. Now we should not think about anything else; we must give everything to win the next game. I have strong confidence in our team. We absolutely have the ability to play with greater fluidity as we build our understanding, and our performances will continue to improve.

Regarding James Maddison, does his current physical condition allow him to be included in the official squad for this match?

I don't think so. Only two days after he experienced a physical issue in the match against Brentford, he was forced to miss another two weeks and recover. At the moment, rushing him back is clearly not the safest or most appropriate choice.