Roberto on 'spirit' Tosin and Deki’s return ‘an example for every one of us’
Roberto De Zerbi told us Tosin Adarabioyo ‘deserves to play’ after his first start for us in the Premier League in Monday night’s 3-1 win against Coventry City.
The central defender produced a typically calm, assured display alongside Micky van de Ven as goals from James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies saw us home.
It was special night in N17 as Madders responded to his first start since 1 May, 2025 with a superb strike for the opener and then Dejan Kulusevski stepped off the bench for his first action since 11 May, 2025.
Speaking to us afterwards, Roberto reflected: “I think the players, they don't believe in themselves like I believe in them. I consider, honestly, and I don't want to say nothing more, that we have a great squad, great players.
“I'm happy for Tosin, because he deserves to play. He's great as a personality, as a behaviour, as a spirit. It's important, crucial in the dressing room. Then, at Old Trafford, Marcos Senesi played very well. We just need to believe more in ourselves and to keep working with this mentality seriously.”
As for Deki’s return, Roberto added: “Yes, he's a different player. He's a great guy, but he's an example for every one of us. I put him on the pitch, especially in the last part of the game, because I knew the fans wanted him on the pitch. I think we needed in this moment the big support from the fans.
"They are fantastic with Kulusevski, with us, they suffered too much in the last two, three, four seasons, I don't know, but they deserve to celebrate many, many wins."