De Zerbi: "We need to be more ruthless to become a perfect team"

Roberto De Zerbi said Tottenham have taken on a completely different identity compared with before the international break, but insisted they must be more "ruthless" if their upturn in form is to continue.

The London side beat 10-man Crystal Palace 2-0 in their last league outing to win three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since February 2025. The run marks a genuine turnaround for a team that had slipped to the bottom of the table before the September international break.

Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scored the goals that secured victory against Palace, while the visitors had Jean-Philippe Mateta sent off in the 13th minute for a heavy challenge on Micky van de Ven.

With Tottenham set to face Leeds United at Elland Road this weekend, head coach De Zerbi stressed that the team still needs a few minor adjustments before reaching its peak:

"I'm pleased with the performance because we had a mature team on the pitch with clear ideas. Apart from perhaps one moment in the second half, we didn't give the opponent any chances on the counter-attack. We created a lot of opportunities. If we want to be perfect, we have to be more ruthless. But that's an individual matter; if I'm playing as a 9 or a 10, I want to score goals. Still, I can't say anything to my players, we're steadily improving our physical condition. If you compare Tottenham before and after the international break, we now play like a team. Before, we had a lot of good players, but we weren't playing as a team."

Tottenham's opponents Leeds United, meanwhile, were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth, who have won their last six matches in all competitions without conceding. Leeds fell behind following a major error from James Trafford, but head coach Daniel Farke refused to put the blame on his young goalkeeper:

"It was a self-inflicted goal and it was the turning point of the game. Overall, we put in a good away performance. There's no need to make a big deal of it. He is a fantastic young goalkeeper and he has won us a lot of points this season. That's the life of a footballer, the sun doesn't always shine. In the future he will win us far more points than he costs us. We win together, we lose together."

KEY PLAYER

Leeds – Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Despite having a goal ruled out against Bournemouth, Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains Leeds' biggest attacking threat. The English striker also stands out for his work rate off the ball and is the player who has applied the most high-intensity presses in the opposition penalty area in the Premier League this season.