De Zerbi wants Tottenham to 'play with courage' for Premier League survival

LONDON (AP) — Roberto De Zerbi wants Tottenham to keep it simple. The new Spurs manager knows there's little time for anything else in a relegation battle. “I don’t want to put confusion inside of the players.

They have to be with a clear plan of the game and not too much instruction, not too much thinking,” the Italian said Friday at his first press conference. "They have to play with courage, with personality and they have to fight. My demand is to show the right spirit I want to see.

” De Zerbi was handed a five-year contract — though with no escape clause if relegated — with the immediate task of Premier League survival. Tottenham is one point above the drop zone with seven matches remaining. De Zerbi previously worked in the Premier League as Brighton’s manager and was most recently at Marseille , which he left in February after a disagreement with the French club’s leadership.

Tottenham's first test under the new boss comes Sunday at Sunderland. He's not overly concerned about implementing his style of play. “What I want to do, what I want to achieve immediately is the character, is the right spirit, the right courage to play, to attack, because the DNA of this club, of this squad, is to find the goal, to score,” he said.