Tottenham Hotspur coach Roberto De Zerbi gave an interview with Malaysian media outlet Stadium Astro, discussing pre-season preparations, transfer investments, coaching philosophy, and sources of inspiration. The following is the second part of the interview.
Roberto, I completely agree with your statement that "the former Liverpool under Klopp became almost every coach's school." This is also a question I've always wanted to ask you, though of course, I didn't have the opportunity to discuss it with you during your time at Brighton. But I've always been curious: your football philosophy, your football ideology—that high-risk, high-reward tactical style—is its driving force purely due to the desire for victory, or is it also influenced by the belief in consistently delivering exciting matches for the live fans?
No, I think my football philosophy starts with two parts, two aspects. The first part comes from myself. My experiences as a player, my upbringing, my family, the values I uphold, and my career, because my coaching career didn't start at a high level, but from a very, very low level. The other part of my style comes from the Barcelona team under Guardiola around 2009, 2010. Because that Barcelona was another school for us in terms of football style, tactical principles, and a new football concept—controlling the ball, off-ball rotation among players, not being bound by fixed rules and positions on the field. Yes, the accumulation of these two aspects has been crucial for me to become a head coach.
I'm curious, Roberto, where do you usually draw this inspiration from? You just talked about Barcelona, and your own career. But when I observe many coaches or thinkers, they often find inspiration in the most unusual things. You might watch a movie, listen to a song, or watch a different sport, and find something that triggers thought or brings inspiration. Have you ever had similar experiences that influenced some of your decisions or ideas in football?
Listen, football is my life, and I think football is everywhere... when I walk, when I listen to music, when I watch movies, when I talk to my children, even when I'm being interviewed by you right now. So inspiration is constantly emerging, all the time. I often listen to music to find inspiration, but I also try to draw inspiration from every day of daily life, from any small thing that happens. I perceive football, I live in football, and I cherish anything that can inspire me and give me new ideas, whether it's in player management or on the pitch.
I am very honored to ask you about your football philosophy, your approach to football, and about Sandro Tonali and Andy Robertson. But I want to ask one last question: for this season, what would be a reasonable standard for success? Putting aside trophies, putting aside league standings, in your mind, what metrics would you use to evaluate Tottenham Hotspur's successful season in this new project?
Our first goal is to quickly bring together two core elements in the team: soul, fighting spirit, which is the team's spiritual attribute. I want to see a team that is courageous and passionate both on and off the field, and proud and happy to wear the Tottenham Hotspur jersey. I want to see the players focused on making our fans happy, because we are undoubtedly playing for the fans. The second part is that I want to help the players form an excellent style of play and establish excellent organizational tactics. The last part is to make people recognize the character of Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham Hotspur must show a clear style on the field, have a clear team spirit, a firm demeanor, and clear motivation. We must never start a game with the thought that we might lose. No matter which stadium we go to, we must create the conditions to win the game, even if the opponent is the reigning Premier League champion. After that, we can start talking about trophies and everything you want to talk about.
Fantastic, absolutely incredible. I'm already incredibly excited for this season. Thank you very much for accepting the interview with Astro Malaysia, Roberto De Zerbi. We wish you all the best and good luck in the new season.
Thank you. Goodbye.
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AneneGod
1
say no more... my trust for u is 5 much
Binlause
2
Pep the GOAT of all coaches