Tottenham are set to face Leeds United in the Premier League as the north London side bids to avoid relegation to the Championship.
Both sides come into this clash in fine form, with Spurs winning two league matches in a row for just the second time this season and Leeds not having lost in their last five matches in the competition.
Spurs still have a lot of work to do yet in order to stay clear of the relegation zone as there is still just a one point gap between them and 18th-placed West Ham.
A happier Tottenham
Before Roberto De Zerbi took over Spurs they did not have a Premier League win in 2026 and were in the relegation zone, now they have only lost one in four and look like a completely different side.
The Italian’s words in press conferences have been positive, and that notion seems to have been felt by the players. His mantra of “only losers cry” suggesting that Spurs’ players and fans need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and instead fight for survival looks to have made the difference.
The Spurs squad have looked devoid of confidence for large parts of this season, and that has been a contributing factor as to why they are so close to the drop zone.
De Zerbi has combatted this by issuing encouragement and praise to his players in a trying time of the season and his words ahead of this Monday’s Leeds clash were no different, this time for João Palhinha and Conor Gallagher.
“100% I would like to keep Gallagher,” he said. “We have to start from this type of people. More than players, we need reliable people, reliable players.
Palhinha is one of the best, as a player for sure, but as a guy. I want to see the player with the same passion, the same attitude, the same spirit, the same personality, and we are lucky to have with us Palhinha.”
“I’m happy because I think from the perspective of Conor, he came in January in a difficult situation,” De Zerbi explained. “He had some problems at the beginning, his physical condition, his environment.
“To understand the different clubs, different style of play, different dressing room. But he’s an important player, the first level of the players.
“So I’m happy to watch him in this condition, in this confidence, with these performances. I said after the game, when Gallagher plays well, his team plays with one player more than the opponent.”
Playing after West Ham
For the second weekend in a row Spurs will play after West Ham have set the tone when they face Arsenal at home on Sunday.
This has caused issues for Spurs in the past, especially when West Ham beat Wolves 4-0 on the Friday night dropping Tottenham into the bottom three before their eventual loss to Sunderland away from home.
However, last weekend it worked in their favorr after West Ham’s 3-0 win at Brentford gave them the chance to climb out of the relegation zone.
There is still all to play for in the battle at the bottom and whatever Spurs do against Leeds could end up defining their Premier League status.
