Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi believes his side can win all five of their remaining games to stay in the Premier League.
Spurs suffered stoppage-time heartbreak as Brighton’s Georginio Rutter struck a 95th-minute leveller to deny Tottenham a first league win of 2026 and a first victory under De Zerbi, the game finishing 2-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The draw leaves Spurs in the relegation zone, one point from safety with five games left.
Despite a daunting run-in that includes away trips to Chelsea and Champions League-chasing Aston Villa, De Zerbi says his squad can string together five consecutive wins to preserve their top-flight status. At his post-match press conference he said: “I always believe in the qualities of the players. They played a good game. I think we can play better than today, with more quality, more calm, especially when we are in ball possession, but in this moment we need this spirit, this attitude, this mentality, and it’s not finished yet.
“We have another five games – it’s tough, every one of us knows it’s a tough moment, it’s a difficult situation – but we have another five games, 15 points, and this team is able to win five games in a row.
“Now it’s difficult to hear my words, but if you watch the players, if you analyse the level of the players, I think we can win five games in a row.
“Not to be arrogant, because I’m not arrogant, especially now, but we have enough qualities to fight and to win games in a row.”
Spurs’ last five games…
– April 25: Wolves (A) – kick-off 3pm
– May 3: Aston Villa (A) – kick-off 7pm
– May 11: Leeds (H) – kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
– May 17: Chelsea (A)
– May 24: Everton (H)
De Zerbi stressed he will not tolerate negativity in training or the camp, warning anyone who arrives with the wrong mentality will be sent home. Asked how he must lift the players ahead of the trip to Wolves, he said: “No, they have to follow me, they have not to think, they have to follow me and to listen to me.
“I’m proud for their performance – they have to be stronger and to be focused just on the Wolverhampton game, and to come to the training ground on Monday afternoon with a smile, because otherwise they go home immediately. I have no time to see the negative people, to see the sad players or sad assistants. No.
“We are lucky because we are working in a big club, a big stadium, we are working in the Premier League. We have the right qualities to win the game, so we have to be positive, because I don’t like the people who cry, who think in a negative way.”
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith noted that while De Zerbi can point to positives from his first home game in charge and praise the fans for their support, Tottenham need a “huge, transformative boost” as time runs out. Xavi Simons’ excellent curling goal had appeared to be a turning point, but Rutter’s last-gasp strike crushed that momentum, leaving players dejected on the pitch.
Smith argued Spurs’ survival prospects have worsened: a point was gained but there’s now one less game to change their situation. The club has failed to win any Premier League game in 2026 and has not won any of their last five league matches in which they took the lead. Those trends underline deep-rooted problems that De Zerbi must address quickly if Tottenham are to salvage their Premier League status.
With Forest and West Ham still to play before Spurs’ trip to Wolves, the gap to safety could yet extend. De Zerbi insists there is quality in the squad and believes in his players’ ability to fight and string wins together — but the task of turning that belief into results in the remaining fixture run is a significant one.