De Zerbi on Tottenham player

Tottenham played out a 0-0 draw against Everton at home as they continue to wait for their first Premier League win of the season.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side have picked up just two points this season and are yet to score a goal in the competition.

Tottenham failed to make their strong start count as Everton went away with a well-deserved point.

And after the game, Roberto De Zerbi was seen having an animated exchange with Mathys Tel after he passed backwards instead of playing it forward late in the game.

The Italian has now explained what he told the Frenchman, confirming that he was only trying to ‘coach’ him.

De Zerbi on animated exchange with Tel

“Yes, I coached him on the pitch,” said De Zerbi in his post-match press conference when asked about his exchange with Tel.

“He is a striker and the striker can play with the shoulder on the goal.

De Zerbi on Tel moment:

"Yes, I coach him on the pitch… the striker can't play with his back to the goal. He has to play like a striker, looking at the goal, or on the cross for Robertson. He has to stay inside. He started as a striker, eh, now he's playing as a winger."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) September 12, 2026

This post is from X. Loading it lets X set cookies on your device.

“If we are playing with Maddison, Kudus and Savio, he has to play as a striker and the striker has to look at the goal or the cross from Robertson.

“He has to stay inside because he started as a striker, eh? Now he is playing as a winger but he started his career as a striker, but I love Mathys as a player, as a guy and there is not a problem.”

Tel has shown flashes of his brilliance under De Zerbi, but his decision-making is still not up to the mark for him to be considered a guaranteed starter at the club.