De Zerbi says saving Spurs is his biggest achievement' after season of suffering

Spurs secured a 1-0 home win over Everton on the final day to finish two points above West Ham, which was relegated despite a 3-0 win over Leeds. The result came with intense nerves and emotion, leaving players and staff relieved after a season-long fight. Roberto De Zerbi described the relegation battle as the best day in football so far and said the club must learn from mistakes rather than forget them. He said Spurs should avoid changing too many players, keep a core group, and add top-level reinforcements to prevent suffering until the last second again. Micky van de Ven called it unacceptable that the final game was so tense.

"Spurs recorded a 1-0 home win against Everton on a nervy and emotional final day to ensure they finished two points above West Ham, who went down despite beating Leeds 3-0 at the London Stadium. The Spurs defender Micky van de Ven said it was embarrassing that his club had been made to sweat until the very end but ultimately it was a day of relief and celebration."

"I think this is the biggest achievement in my time, De Zerbi said. The Europa League at Brighton was great. The second place in Marseille, with a lot of problems, was a big achievement. But I think today was maybe one of the best days in football so far. For sure, we have to learn from our mistakes. We are happy because we stay up and we forget the past. Actually, no! Stupid people forget the past. The smart people, the people with value, can't forget and keep in their mind the past."

"We have to improve from our mistakes. And we are looking forward to start to rebuild a team from this night, from tomorrow. We have no time to go on holiday. Will we be stronger for this? If we remember this day, for sure. Next season, we have to keep in our mind [what has happened], to give our best in every training session. If we remember this it will be easier."

"De Zerbi considered what will be an important summer for Spurs. We have not to change too many players, he said. We have 10, 11, 12 players who are good enough to stay good enough as players and especially people. Then we have to complete the squad with the first-level of players because we suffer too much. We are Tottenham and we can't suffer like this until the last second of the last game to stay up."

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