De Zerbi: We Will Turn Tottenham's Stamford Bridge Nightmare into Motivation

Roberto De Zerbi has highlighted Tottenham's poor record against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge ahead of this weekend's Premier League derby, saying he wants to use it as a source of motivation.

Spurs earned their first league win on Monday, beating Coventry City 3-1 thanks to goals from James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies. However, the north London club have managed back-to-back league wins only twice since the start of last season, and they now head to one of the grounds where they have historically struggled the most.

Tottenham have won just 1 of their last 36 league visits to Stamford Bridge, drawing 11 and losing 24. That lone victory, a 3-1 win, came in the 2017-18 season under Mauricio Pochettino. Since then, Spurs have collected only 2 points from their 8 trips there, with 2 draws and 6 defeats.

On top of that, Tottenham have lost each of their last 6 London derbies in the Premier League. The club have never lost 7 derbies in a row in their entire league history. Chelsea, meanwhile, have won their last 6 league meetings with their rivals, equalling their longest winning run against Tottenham.

Despite this, De Zerbi, while acknowledging that Xabi Alonso's Chelsea will be a tough test, believes his side have what it takes to end the poor run.

"It's not only this negative statistic; there are many bad records, but for me it is one more source of motivation for the players," the Italian coach told reporters. "I want this bad record to give us more motivation, a stronger mentality and more energy to win the game and play well, because we have enough quality to win this match. We will play against a very good team and an excellent coach. They have great players and a clear style of play. But the Tottenham players are also of very high quality, their level is high. We need to show that on the pitch, both individually and as a team."

The rivalry between the two clubs has produced many heated moments over the years. Chief among them is the famous "Battle of the Bridge" in 2016, which ended 2-2 and confirmed Leicester City as champions. Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard responded to goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min to hand the title to Leicester, and after the scuffles that broke out during the game, Mousa Dembélé was banned for 6 matches over an incident with Diego Costa.

Asked how he would maintain team discipline at Stamford Bridge after Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for a headbutt against Manchester United, De Zerbi replied: "Finding the balance is always difficult; the balance between energy, fighting spirit and mentality... If you trust your players, you let them decide their reactions and attitude on the pitch. One thing is certain: I would rather have a player who sometimes reacts 'a bit too aggressively' than a player with no reaction and no spirit."