Roberto De Zerbi called his Tottenham squad "fragile" after their defeat to Aston Villa, but Andy Robertson claims the Spurs boss genuinely "believes" in the players
Andy Robertson is keeping the faith at Tottenham
Andy Robertson is keeping the faith at Tottenham(Image: Getty Images)
Former Liverpool star Andy Robertson has insisted that Roberto De Zerbi "believes" in the Tottenham squad, despite the Spurs boss's recent remarks about the club.
Spurs suffered a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa, extending their search for a Premier League victory this campaign. Tottenham sits at the foot of the Premier League standings heading into the international break, having collected only two points from its first five games.
The only points Spurs have secured this term came via goalless stalemates with Everton and Nottingham Forest, and they had failed to find the back of the net in the top flight prior to their loss to Villa on Saturday.
Robertson joined Tottenham on a free transfer during the summer following the expiry of his Liverpool contract, and he appeared against his previous employer in Spurs' Carabao Cup elimination at Anfield last week.
The Scotland international has now revealed De Zerbi's genuine sentiments toward the Tottenham squad and explained why he remains optimistic that fortunes will improve.
"I spoke to directly to De Zerbi, we had a couple of video calls over the summer," Robertson said on the latest episode of Stick to Football, which is now available to watch on Disney+.
Roberto De Zerbi's players have made a poor start to the season
Roberto De Zerbi's players have made a poor start to the season(Image: Getty Images)
"He's super ambitious, he wants to compete, he knows it'll take time, but we need to start showing it sooner rather than later.
"He believes in the squad, I believe in it.
"The team we played against Liverpool and the bench, there's so much quality, we need to show it as one.
"We need a bit of luck and more of, 'Okay, forget about the past, let's move forward' — and once the season goes and goes, we'll get better and better."
Robertson's comments follow De Zerbi's assessment of the Tottenham squad as "fragile" in the aftermath of their defeat to Villa on Saturday.
"It's difficult to explain because, in my career, 14 years as a coach, I've never seen one team like us," De Zerbi told talkSPORT over the weekend.
"So fragile, so inconsistent. You're good, or you're bad. You can't be very good in the first 30, 40 minutes, and then concede like this in this way. It's tough to accept for me."
Tottenham is next in Premier League action on October 10, when the team travels to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.