'Losers cry' - Roberto De Zerbi tells Tottenham players to 'die on the pitch' ahead of huge Aston Villa clash

The Tottenham head coach has told his squad to stop feeling sorry for themselves as the threat of a historic relegation looms over north London. Despite securing a vital win against Wolves last time out, the mood around the club has been dampened by a relentless injury crisis that has left the first-team squad paper-thin for the final four matches of the campaign.

Speaking to the media, De Zerbi challenged his players to block out the negativity surrounding the club's precarious position. "The most important challenge now is to silence the voice inside of us, inside of the players, inside of the staff and inside of the fans," he said. "This voice can produce negative thoughts. I think it is all negative things and it is rubbish. I don't want people close to me crying or to think in a different way to me."

The Italian tactician's frustrations stem from a mounting list of absentees that has seen key figures like Xavi Simons ruled out with a long-term ACL injury. Matters were made worse following reports that Dominic Solanke could be sidelined for the remainder of the Premier League season with a hamstring problem. With at least eight senior players missing, De Zerbi is forced to navigate the run-in with limited options.

"The voice says, ‘we are unlucky, we have too many injuries, we lost Xavi Simons and he was the last two games one of the best players and most important players for us, our medical staff is not good enough and the pitch of the stadium is not good’," De Zerbi added. However, he was quick to dismiss these excuses, stating: "For that, OK it is not the best moment for us, it is a tough moment, a difficult moment, but the losers cry. The losers think negative."

Tottenham currently sit 18th in the table, facing the very real prospect of their first top-flight relegation since 1977. However, the gap to safety remains narrow, and De Zerbi believes a result against Unai Emery's high-flying Aston Villa is well within reach if his team finds the right spirit. He insisted that while Villa are formidable, a Spurs victory would "not be a miracle".

Reflecting on the challenge ahead, the former Brighton boss was blunt about what is required from his players. He said: "We have to die on the pitch and to die on the pitch we have to lose the game. Before we lose the game we have to play, we have to fight and we have two points less than West Ham, but West Ham have to play difficult games as well like us. We are good enough to win the games and we are good enough to stay up."

The schedule offers no respite for the north London side as they navigate their final four matches. Following the trip to Villa Park, Spurs must face Leeds United, Chelsea, and Everton in a sequence that will define their future in the top flight. The recent win against Wolves - their first in 16 attempts - provided a glimmer of hope, but the loss of Solanke and Simons threatens to extinguish that momentum immediately. With paper-thin squad at his disposal, the Italian manager will have to manage their dwindling resources carefully if Spurs are to leapfrog West Ham and secure their Premier League status for another year.