Tottenham: Micky van de Ven reveals new Roberto De Zerbi concern as relegation fears intensify | OneFootball

Defeat at Sunderland leaves Spurs languishing in the drop zone, but can new head coach keep them up?

Micky van de Ven believes Tottenham do not have time to learn Roberto De Zerbi’s tactics as they look to escape the relegation zone.

Relegation is now a very real prospect for Tottenham, who sit in the drop zone and are two points adrift of safety after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.

He told Sky Sports: “Every manager has their own opinion of the game and Roberto wants us to play out more from the back.

“That's what he asked. He wants us to play with confidence and that is what we need to build but we don't have a long time left. We need to do it now.”

He continued, saying Spurs are desperate to win matches as the mental strain of the relegation battle begins to take its toll.

“You don't want to look at the other results and just need to win.

“You can't say you don't look at the other team. Six games left to get as many points as possible. There is pressure now as we are in the relegation zone but we need to make sure we get out of this situation.”

While De Zerbi’s debut did not go to plan, Van de Ven believes Spurs showed some encouraging signs in tricky conditions at the Stadium of Light.

He added: “I don't even think we played a bad game today, we created some opportunities to score and they didn't create much.

“That is the moment we are in, everything doesn't fall on our sides. At the final whistle, it's really tough.

“Mentally, it's tough. We have been suffering for the last few months when we don't get wins in the Premier League and keep struggling.

“We need to get the confidence back. It's really tough, we need to make sure we find this back.”