Roberto De Zerbi Defends Tottenham Players After Brighton Draw- 'Now It's Too Easy to Think Negative'

Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 with Brighton at home after conceding a late equaliser in the 96th minute.

Spurs were in the lead twice during the game, with Xavi Simons scoring a screamer late in the match, which made many Spurs fans believe they were set to get their first win of 2026.

Georginio Rutter scored the equalizer in the 96th minute following a mistake from Kevin Danso, who was dispossessed easily off the ball in the box by Jan Paul Van Hecke.

The result means that Spurs remain in the relegation zone with 31 points, with West Ham United (32 points) and Nottingham Forest (33 points) ahead of them with a game in hand.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi is not satisfied with the result but encourages his team to keep fighting ahead of their last five Premier League matches, which will be crucial to see if they survive relegation.

Roberto De Zerbi On Spurs and Relegation Battle

Roberto De Zerbi spoke about the Tottenham Hotspur player's reaction to the result, which keeps them in the relegation zone.

De Zerbi wants a positive mentality ahead of the next games and said, "I am positive, but I am proud of my players. They played a fantastic game with character and spirit. We have to be stronger than this result, we have to move on and prepare the next game and try to win the game at Wolves."

The Italian manager continued to defend his players and revealed what he said to them after the match. De Zerbi said, "I said to be strong, to follow me again and again because I want to help them. They can change the mentality because that is the most important part. Now it's too easy to think negative, but we have to be focused on this performance and work to find the condition to win again."

When asked what needs to be worked on for the next games, De Zerbi said, "We have to improve a lot of things. The crucial part is to keep this mentality, and I told the players to come on Monday afternoon with the same behaviour they showed today. I don't want to work with sad people, with negative people. They have to believe in me. If I am here, it's because I am positive to stay in the Premier League next season."

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 12:24 PM.