Roberto De Zerbi has hit back at criticism following Tottenham's 2-1 victory over a much-changed Aston Villa side on Sunday night. The win was crucial for Spurs in their battle to avoid relegation, but it was Villa's lineup—featuring seven changes from their Europa League semi-final first leg against Nottingham Forest—that drew heavy media scrutiny.
TalkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan described Villa's performance as a "disgrace" and expressed sympathy for 18th-placed West Ham. However, De Zerbi questioned the double standards, pointing out that Nottingham Forest also made several changes in their 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday without facing similar criticism.
"Yes, but for Nottingham Forest no? Nottingham Forest, the first XI was maybe more changes than Aston Villa, no? And the first half was 2-0 for Nottingham Forest—and has anyone said nothing? No," De Zerbi said.
He defended Villa's rotated side, highlighting the quality of players like Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Tyrone Mings, Ian Maatsen, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Jadon Sancho, Ross Barkley, and Tammy Abraham. De Zerbi also noted that Tottenham were without several key players, including Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, Dominic Solanke, Xavi Simons, and James Maddison.
"I don't know if they are better or worse. I can say one thing, we played without Romero, Kulusevski, Kudus, Solanke, Xavi Simons, Maddison and maybe more players than Villa. And it is better if the people speak about us than we speak about them," he added.
When asked if the fallout surprised him, De Zerbi said: "No, in Italy we are used to thinking in the bad way about this situation, but it is not true. It is not true."
Joao Palhinha, who starred in the win, has been a key figure for Spurs since joining on loan from Bayern Munich last August. The deal includes an option to make the move permanent for 30 million euros, and De Zerbi expressed a strong desire to keep the midfielder.
"Yes, 100 per cent. We have to start from this type of people. More than players, we need reliable people, reliable players. Palhinha is one of the best, as a player for sure, but as a guy also. I want to see the player with the same passion, the same attitude, the same spirit, the same personality. And we are lucky to have with us Palhinha," De Zerbi said.
Looking ahead to Monday's visit of Leeds, De Zerbi provided injury updates. Guglielmo Vicario remains sidelined with a hernia, while Dominic Solanke (hamstring) is improving but unlikely to feature against Leeds. James Maddison has been on the bench for the last three games after a serious knee injury, but De Zerbi was cautious about his availability.
"No, Vicario is not ready yet. I'm thinking about James Maddison because I'm watching a top, top player. Maybe he's not ready yet to play, but as a physical condition, not for the rhythm, for the intensity of the game. We are playing in the Premier League, the most difficult league in terms of intensity and rhythm. About Solanke, he's improving very quickly. I don't know, for this game, I don't know if he can be available. We hope for the next game against Chelsea," De Zerbi concluded.
