De Zerbi credits frank team meeting with Tottenham turnaround

Roberto de Zerbi has credited a frank team meeting with helping Tottenham change their fortunes after a difficult start to the Premier League season. Speaking after Saturday's 2-0 victory at Chelsea, the Spurs manager said relationships within the squad had improved following an honest discussion before their visit to Manchester United, BBC Sport reported.

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Tottenham have taken seven points from that match and the two that followed, drawing 1-1 at Old Trafford before beating Coventry 3-1 and Chelsea 2-0. The latest result lifted them to 12th, their highest league position since 2 January. They had needed seven attempts to record their first league victory of the season, which came against Coventry on Monday.

De Zerbi said the meeting allowed players and staff to speak openly with one another. He attributed the subsequent improvement to changes in the group's relationships and spirit, rather than simply a different attitude. He also said those changes had helped individual performances, particularly among younger or more fragile players. Tottenham additionally held a warm-weather training camp in Marbella, where heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua visited the squad.

The manager praised several summer arrivals for their displays at Stamford Bridge, including Jan Paul van Hecke, Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. He described Tonali's performance as his best since joining Tottenham and singled out wingers Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel for making the difference. Tel scored after a driving run, adding to the lead provided by Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders' own goal.

There was concern over James Maddison, who was withdrawn in the second half with a suspected groin injury. De Zerbi expressed hope that the problem would not be serious, but did not confirm its severity. Maddison missed almost all of last season with a serious knee injury and had played an important role in Monday's win over Coventry.

De Zerbi took charge at the end of March as Tottenham's third manager of the campaign, with seven games left and the club one point above the relegation zone. After securing survival, Spurs spent more than £300 million on summer signings, according to BBC Sport. Their win at Chelsea was only their second league victory at Stamford Bridge in 36 years.