“Now, the job starts" | Every word of our exclusive end-of-season interview with Roberto De Zerbi

“We closed one page and we opened another page today,” said Roberto, in an exclusive interview with SPURSPLAY presenter and Spurs fan, Ben Haines, at Hotspur Way on Monday.

Here’s what Roberto had to say…

Ben: Roberto, you've been here 56 days now - does this feel like day one?

Roberto: “We closed one page and we opened another page today, because we have no time, we have to organise the next season, we have to build a stronger team, but I'm very happy and very proud of what every one of us did. It was incredible, I think, but it's finished. Now we have to move on and to prepare the future of our club.”

What have you learned about this club in the short time you've been here?

Roberto: “I feel a great connection with this club, maybe because I came in a very tough moment. We went through a difficult period, and I think we became stronger. I think we can keep in our heads what was the situation last season and to become better, for sure - become better as a coach, as players, as a club. We can't make the same mistakes, otherwise we can't improve, we can't become better.”

It's maybe been 24 hours since the scenes yesterday. Did you feel the love from the fans at the end, when you have that moment on the pitch and they're all singing? Did you feel that connection?

Roberto: “By the beginning, I felt the connection with the players, with the club, but also with the fans. They need passionate people and they need maybe people who believe to stay up. I believed to stay up at the beginning in my time. I was surprised about the negative thoughts in that period, because I was focused on the qualities of the players. At the end, if you work well, if you believe in yourself, if you try to put the players in the right condition to play, I think the results are normally to achieve.”

You definitely felt that belief start to come through, and you certainly saw it with the players. I wondered if there were any moments along the way that stood out for you in the seven games as the most important moments?

Roberto: “I think, sincerely, the dinner, the day of the dinner together, because you build a relationship in the training ground, on the pitch. After the training ground, the pitch, the football, there is a people, there is a man, there is a relationship with the players and maybe in that situation, they knew better myself, I knew better them, and I think it was an important day. But to achieve the target is day by day. It's day by day. You can't lose energy, you can't lose training, and the reaction we showed after the defeat in Sunderland or in Chelsea is the same - I think the reaction was good.”

Was there anything on the pitch or was there a game that you felt was definitive, deciding for us?

Roberto: “Again, Brighton, we played a great game. We deserved to win, absolutely, and the other game, the other crucial game was Villa Park. We played well, we won against a great team. They showed the right spirit, the right passion, the right attitude. Also the confidence of the players was different, completely different than three weeks before in Sunderland, for example. At the end of that game, I saw the players on the floor crying. What is this situation? I said, ‘no’. I have a great memory about these seven games.”

Do you feel we'll be stronger next season?

Roberto: “No, for sure. For sure. I love smart people. The smart people learn from the mistakes. If this season was like this, it's because we made many mistakes and sincerely, from the mistakes, you have to find the reason to improve, to work harder and to understand the mistakes. Otherwise, you can't compete.”

You said at the beginning you had to limit your messaging in terms of the things that players would take on board. Are you excited to share your philosophy and what you want to bring to this team on the training field with more time?

Roberto: “Yes, but at the end, I think I gave a lot of details and ideas. I was not so strong because I thought maybe to go too strong is like losing energy because you can win the with the style, but first of all, you need the spirit, the attitude, the behaviour. The next season, I'm ready to go stronger."

Tell me what comes now in terms of recruitment. How soon do you look at what you want player-wise in the summer? And do you feel the club are there to support you in that?

Roberto: “Listen, we have a great relationship with Johan and Vinai and the whole board. I have no doubt, but it's right because I came to start a new plan, a new project, and the plan was not in Sunderland. It was after Everton, staying in the Premier League. My target was very clear at the beginning. I gave all my best. I pushed to arrive at today. From today, we have to start to work. Look, my target when I came was today, to arrive today, after the last game and planning the next Premier League. I'm sure we have not to change too many players. It's not right. It's not right because we are lucky to have a lot of good players, a lot of good guys. I think we have to complete the squad in the best way, with the first level of players, with the right behaviour of the players, because now the qualities of the players are important, but more important is the spirit, the mentality of these players - and now the job starts."

Do you have a priority in terms of the work you would like to do with the players?

Roberto: “I want to improve the quality of the play, for sure. I want to improve build-up because normally you are focused on the last 30 metres, but you can improve the last 30 metres if you play better in the first 70 metres. In build-up, we have to improve in the ball possession, we have to improve in the control of the game, for sure in the finishing, the last pass, the assists, a lot of things. We have time now to organise the improvement of the play.”

What will summer look like for you?

Roberto: “I'm looking forward to build a new team. I'm looking forward to call these players, to speak with them and to introduce the new season and to speak with the new players we have to bring. We are lucky to stay here and we have to compete in the best way we can.”

You mentioned yesterday that it felt like being underwater for 55 days. How does the air feel now?

Roberto: “I think it was the best day in football and I'm not so young, because when you win a trophy or when you win a league, yes, it’s a very, very nice moment, but when you stay up, it's better. It's more intense as a moment.”

We felt the energy of the fans, and we felt everyone come together. Now we're all going to be apart for a little while. Do you have a message for the fans?

Roberto: “No, just to say thanks, because yesterday when we arrived with the bus it was an incredible emotion and if we stay up it's also their credit.”