Roberto De Zerbi says Tottenham hatred should motivate stars in Premier League survival battle

Tottenham head into the final stretch of the season sitting two points above the relegation zone, holding a significantly superior goal difference over local rivals West Ham United having played a game less. De Zerbi's side require just a single point from their remaining fixtures against Chelsea and Everton to mathematically secure their Premier League status. A daunting trip to Stamford Bridge awaits next, where rival supporters will look to compound the misery on the visiting team. However, the Italian tactician has urged his squad to embrace the mounting hostile atmosphere.

Addressing the media ahead of the crucial London derby, De Zerbi insisted that apparent widespread hatred from rival fans wanting Spurs to go down should increase motivation levels in his squad. Embracing the intense pressure and historical rivalries, the former Brighton boss said: "We have to find new motivation from this pressure. If everyone wants Tottenham relegated, it's a big motivation for me and I hope for my players as well. We have to accept that football is nice because of the rivalry. It's good to imagine ourselves celebrating the win in their stadium. It's the reason football is like this, no?"

Spurs have shown notable signs of defensive steel since De Zerbi took the helm, conceding only one first-half goal across his opening five matches in charge. Demanding that his players channel the collective animosity into a defiant performance, he added: "It's a motivation, it's a challenge. If a challenge is tougher, it's better for us to find new motivation and to be focused on staying together from the beginning to the end of the game.

"The pride is amazing motivation. The pride, if everyone wants Tottenham relegated, I think for one Tottenham player, one Tottenham fan, all the people who work inside Tottenham, it has to be the biggest motivation."

Tottenham must overcome an abysmal historical record at Stamford Bridge, having secured just one victory in their last 35 away league visits to Chelsea. Despite only needing a draw, De Zerbi has strictly warned his squad against playing for a stalemate on Tuesday night, and added: "We can't start the game thinking to draw. We have to start the game and we prepare the game and we speak in the meeting to win the game. Everybody wants to stay up, everyone wants to achieve this goal and then we can speak about everything."