Regardless of whether things are going well or badly, De Zerbi believes players must change their mindset.

Tottenham Hotspur, nicknamed the "Lilywhites," will host Championship side Charlton Athletic in the second round of the 2026/27 EFL Cup. At a press conference, manager De Zerby stated that the team will not differentiate between competitions and urged players to adjust their mindset in the face of tough challenges.

In the first round of the new Premier League season, Tottenham Hotspur lost 0-3 to Brentford after conceding goals in both halves.

Regarding the current squad, Tottenham Hotspur manager De Zerby stated, "Van der Wen will be on the bench, Pedro Polo will also be on the bench, and Solanke is ready to play."

“I’m happy to see Pedro Polo and Van der Wen back in the squad, but Cudus isn’t ready yet, and Madison has a minor shoulder injury.”

Speaking about new signing Scottish star Andy Robertson, De Zerby said, "I have a very good relationship with Robertson, and I think he's doing well. Normally, after a player has played for the same club for a long time, especially at a club like Liverpool, it's not easy for him to quickly adapt to a new environment, city, dressing room, new manager, and new teammates."

"Because for players, the training facility is like home, it's like a family. Changing their 'family,' or training facility and locker room, is not something they can adapt to quickly. I believe in his ability and have full confidence in him. We need his winning mentality because we have to get used to winning all the time, one game after another. In the past two seasons, we have needed to change some habits."

Regarding the current competition, De Zerby said, "For me, the English League Cup is just as important as the Premier League. I don't think we are in a position to treat different competitions differently right now. As long as there are games, we must give it our all and get used to winning. I want to emphasize that it's about winning game after game, not just one game."

“We must change the team’s mentality, and we can do it because we proved it last season. In the last 6 games, we have 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, including the loss to Chelsea. But I’ve heard people say that we couldn’t win last season because the team’s last victory was a long time ago. I know that, but I think the whole environment must change, and the players and everyone must change their mentality.”

Furthermore, De Zerbi stated, "When I say we have to be a real team, this is the mentality I'm talking about. Because we had enough players against Brentford to play much better. I don't know if we can win, but at least we should do better."

“Archie Gray, Van Hecke, Senesi, Robertson, Tonali, Lucas Belvar, Gallagher, Richarlison and Matthias Tel, I think they are all excellent players.”

Image source: Internet