De Zerbi after Spurs' 3-1 win: 'We can play better'

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi addressed the media after his side's 3-1 Premier League victory over Coventry City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night, the club's first league win of the season.

De Zerbi acknowledged the result was hard-earned against a defensively compact opponent. "We played much better in other games — Old Trafford, Aston Villa especially in the first half, Everton especially in the first half, Liverpool in the Carabao Cup — but we didn't play so well... for the Coventry credit, because playing against one team who defend so close, so compact with low block, it's always a very, very tough game," he said.

The Italian explained his decision to deploy a three-at-the-back system, citing injury concerns in midfield. Conor Gallagher had only returned two days before the match, Lucas Bergvall was injured, and Mateus Fernandes had trained just the final two days of the Marbella camp due to a personal matter. De Zerbi said the shape was designed to neutralise Coventry's counter-attacking threat, which he estimated accounts for 80 per cent of their play.

The return of James Maddison, who scored, and the introduction of Dejan Kulusevski were highlights of the evening. De Zerbi described the pair as "different players — different talent, different experience, different personality," adding that their presence changes the atmosphere in the dressing room.

De Zerbi pointed to a squad meeting held the day before the Manchester United fixture as a turning point in team cohesion. "We can't accept, we can't move on if we don't take more responsibility," he said, describing his aim as building something resembling a family environment rather than a purely mechanical unit.

On what comes next, De Zerbi kept his focus on maintaining the attitude shown against Coventry. "We have to play better because we can play better," he said ahead of a fixture against Chelsea.