Roberto De Zerbi has revealed why he stayed calm on the touchline when James Maddison scored his spectacular goal in Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Coventry City, saying a single goal was not enough to justify wild celebrations.
The Spurs boss said his assistant urged him to celebrate after the opener, but he questioned what there was to celebrate over one goal. De Zerbi insisted he was pleased with the strike and admired its quality, yet his mind was already on the bigger picture. He admitted it was frustrating that Tottenham had needed until their seventh league game, and Maddison’s return, to finally take the lead, and he stressed that a club of Tottenham’s stature cannot keep making life so hard for itself.
The Italian also praised Maddison for apologising to the Coventry fans after scoring against the club where he grew up. De Zerbi said the gesture meant something to him, because it showed respect for the supporters and an understanding of what the club represents. He added that he has plenty of respect for Coventry himself.
De Zerbi revealed he had told his players at half-time to protect their lead by closing space, limiting Coventry’s chances and avoiding careless errors. He was visibly annoyed that Spurs conceded early in the second half, saying one mistake had undone all the work done on the training pitch and that switching off is not an option at this level. He credited the players for fighting back but said they should never have been in that position.
The manager highlighted the contributions of Maddison and Mohammed Kudus, praising Maddison’s creativity and courage and Kudus’s energy, movement and ability to hurt defenders. However, he warned that Tottenham cannot become a side that relies on two players to rescue them every weekend. He questioned what happens when either is unavailable or having a poor game, and cautioned that leaning on individual brilliance could drag the club into a relegation fight. He said he was not trying to scare anyone, only to be honest about the level required.
De Zerbi called for improvement in defending, ball circulation and game management when leading, and said football is a collective responsibility in which wins, struggles and mistakes are shared. He thanked the fans, who deserve to be happy, and the players, who deserve credit for their fight, but promised the team would review the match and fix their errors. His message was that Tottenham must learn to stand on their own feet if they want to achieve anything meaningful this season.
