De Zerbi’s Battle Cry: Spurs must ‘die on the pitch’ as Premier League relegation battle heats up
De Zerbi’s Battle Cry: Spurs must ‘die on the pitch’ as Premier League relegation battle heats up Roberto De Zerbi has issued a rallying cry to his Tottenham Hotspur players as the club battle against Premier League relegation. Tottenham travel to Aston Villa in the Premier League tonight with their top-flight status under threat. Spurs sit in the bottom three, but know a win will take them out of the drop zone after relegation rivals West Ham were beaten 3-0 at Brentford on Saturday.
The North London side are one of only six ever-present sides in the Premier League era, and have not been relegated since 1977. Last weekend's 1-0 win at Wolves secured a first league win of 2026, and Spurs will now hope to build momentum ahead of the final fixtures. Ahead of today's trip to Aston Villa, De Zerbi has called on his struggling side to give everything to escape their perilous position.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference , the Italian refuted suggestions that his side are destined for the drop. "I heard no, it’s impossible, we are crying, everyone, we are relegated, no? Not yet and we have to die on the pitch," the Spurs boss said.
"We have to play, we have to fight, we have two points less than West Ham. They have to play a difficult game like us. It’s not the best moment for us, a tough moment, but the losers cry, they think negative and I don’t want people close to me crying or to think a different way than me.
"We are good enough to win the games and to stay up and then we will see because it’s the unique way. The way I know is to work hard, give my best, to trust in my idea of the players, their confidence and to be realistic. I think there are not a lot of people realistic now.