Sandro Tonali has played down concerns over Tottenham Hotspur’s poor start to the Premier League season, insisting the mood inside the squad is positive.
Tottenham are yet to win this season (D2, L3), leaving them bottom of the Premier League table.
Their slow start has already raised fears of another relegation battle, considering Spurs only secured their top-flight status on the final day of last season.
Opta’s early projections have predicted Tottenham could go down this season, piling more pressure on a club that spent a fortune to rebuild their squad over the summer.
Tonali was the biggest statement of that spending spree, joining Tottenham in a club-record £100 million deal from Newcastle United.
However, the Italian midfielder has struggled to make an impact, and several of his new teammates have also failed to impress.
Despite the results, Tonali believes Tottenham have enough quality to turn things around.
“Football is very strange,” Tonali said (via the Standard) when asked to assess Tottenham’s season. “In ten days, everything can change from negative to positive.
“I would classify our current situation as a club as negative in terms of results but positive for football.
“We’re having fun and creating chances. If you don’t score in football, you lose. We’re not in the doldrums; we’re alive and well, and we’re positive.
“We know the team is very strong. Here in the national team, it’s different – it’s a very new and young group. We’ve practically never played together. We just have to wait.”
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi championed the move for Tonali and has repeatedly defended his compatriot despite his slow start in north London.
“He’s a good guy, he’s working very hard, and I’m happy to have Sandro,” De Zerbi said. “We are lucky to have Sandro with us.
“The adaptation has not been so fast, but it can happen, also in Milan in the first season – okay, he was younger, but it is not so easy to change city, to change everything for the players.
“Sometimes the adaptation is immediate, sometimes you need more time.”
