De Zerbi gives Spurs players message: ‘They have to understand’

Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi says Tottenham’s players have his “full confidence” but “have to work” to match the physical demands of the Premier League in pursuit of their first league goal and win of the season.

Spurs host Aston Villa on Saturday with the clubs among the five not to have won any of their first four top-flight games of the campaign alongside Coventry City, Fulham and Bournemouth.

“We have to improve in everything,” said De Zerbi, whose team suffered their third defeat of the season in all competitions with a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

“You have to stay calm and be confident in what you’re doing. We conceded the first goal [at Liverpool] in a bad way… one long ball to [Cody] Gakpo [should not] be enough to concede.

“For the second, we could have closed Gakpo down [in a] better and stronger [way]. The third goal is individual quality from [Dominik] Szoboszlai.”

Tottenham vs Aston Villa: De Zerbi on Spurs fitness

De Zerbi, who took over on March 31, reiterated his suggestion that Tottenham are less fit than their rivals. “We started pre-season without a great physical condition,” said the Italian, discussing the three-week gap in their schedule after Saturday because of internationals.

“The players have to understand the intensity of the Premier League. They can’t lose all their physical condition [during the international break].

“They have to work and we have prepared a plan for individual training because, when the group comes back, we have to [restart] immediately.”

Dejan Kulusevski is still recovering from a knee injury that has kept the Sweden winger out since May 2025. “We have to manage Deki in the best way we can,” said De Zerbi.

“[His potential return] is a great thing for us because he is a good player and a good guy. He deserves to play again and we have to work day by day.

“For Deki, the international break is important because when he is at top condition and over the injury, he will be like another new signing.”

Where to watch Spurs vs Villa: TV channel, live online streams

Kick-off on Saturday is at 12:30 BST (07:30 ET / 04:30 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.

Streaming is available on a vast range of devices through the HBO Max app. Subscriptions start at £30.99 a month.

Here’s the full list of Premier League international broadcasters.

Premier League fixtures this weekend

Full Premier League table

Premier League 2026

England

#	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Last 4
1	Arsenal	4	4	0	0	8	1	7	12	W W W W
2	Manchester City	4	4	0	0	8	2	6	12	W W W W
3	Leeds	4	2	2	0	7	3	4	8	W D D W
4	Hull City	4	2	2	0	5	2	3	8	D D W W
5	Brighton	4	2	1	1	13	5	8	7	W D L W
6	Chelsea	4	2	1	1	10	9	1	7	D L W W
7	Brentford	4	1	3	0	7	4	3	6	D D D W
8	Liverpool	4	1	3	0	6	4	2	6	D W D D
9	Everton	4	1	3	0	5	3	2	6	D D D W
10	Ipswich	4	2	0	2	7	10	-3	6	W L L W
11	Nottingham Forest	4	1	2	1	4	4	0	5	W D D L
12	Newcastle	4	1	2	1	7	8	-1	5	L D W D
13	Manchester United	4	1	1	2	7	7	0	4	L D W L
14	Sunderland	4	1	1	2	3	5	-2	4	L D W L
15	Bournemouth	4	0	3	1	6	7	-1	3	D D D L
16	Crystal Palace	4	1	0	3	6	11	-5	3	L W L L
17	Tottenham	4	0	2	2	0	5	-5	2	D D L L
18	Fulham	4	0	1	3	4	7	-3	1	D L L L
19	Aston Villa	4	0	1	3	1	7	-6	1	L D L L
20	Coventry	4	0	0	4	0	10	-10	0	L L L L

• Position 1, 2, 3, 4 : Promotion – Champions League (League phase)
• Position 5 : Promotion – Europa League (League phase)
• Position 18, 19, 20 : Relegation – Championship