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Roberto De Zerbi intends to bring back “Ange-ball” as he attempts to prevent Tottenham’s first relegation in 49 years.

De Zerbi has only seven games in which to impart his complex football philosophy to his players and wants to replicate the rampant, marauding style of the former manager Ange Postecoglou, who won Tottenham’s first trophy in 17 years but was dismissed after finishing 17th in the Premier League last season.

“I want to keep the ball,” De Zerbi said. “I want to see again the Tottenham I watched with Postecoglou because, in my second season in Brighton, there was Postecoglou here with a lot of these players and it was one of the best teams in terms of quality of play. With Pedro Porro, with [Destiny] Udogie, with [Micky] van de Ven, with [Cristian] Romero, and I would like to see it again.”

When De Zerbi arrived at Brighton, where he grew his reputation for intricate, intelligent attacking football, the defender Lewis Dunk described the early concepts and training sessions as “baffling”.

This time, with less than two weeks to work with the squad, he has kept things simple. He has had “a lot” of individual meetings with players alongside sessions on the training pitch. The first test of what has been absorbed will be away to Sunderland on Sunday.

“I have no time to think of other things, just football,” De Zerbi said. “Just meeting the players, organising, transferring and finding the best way to transfer my ideas – two or three, not too many ideas – that I want to see on the pitch from Sunday.”

De Zerbi has often been criticised for short stays. He spent less than two years at Brighton and Marseille, and his longest spell was three years at Sassuolo. He said on Friday that he left Marseille owing to “a different view of football”. When he left Brighton he also said it was down to a differing vision.

But he insists he is committed to Spurs “for a long time” after signing a contract to 2031, which does not include a break clause if they are relegated. He believes he can lead the club to the top.

“In my plan for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham – I’m not speaking about the titles because it’s not the right moment now – but to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League, because there are all parts to reach that level.”

Spurs have lost seven of their past nine games but De Zerbi has analysed their recent matches and taken encouragement from the 1-1 draw at Liverpool and 3-2 Champions League win against Atlético Madrid.

“We have to show this for 90 minutes and we have to believe in ourselves,” he said. “The most important part in football is the mental part. You are used to speaking too much about the style of play, the tactical disposition, blah, blah, blah. But in the end, the mental part is crucial in every work, especially in football, especially in this moment in Tottenham.”

De Zerbi was taking questions from the media for the first time since the backlash to his appointment. Before he had signed a contract to replace Igor Tudor, several fan groups – including Proud Lilywhites and Women of the Lane – released statements opposing the move owing to his past comments about Mason Greenwood.

Greenwood was charged in 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The Crown Prosecution Service discontinued the case in February 2023 after key witnesses withdrew their involvement and “new material came to light”. Greenwood had denied the charges.

While working with the former Manchester United striker at Marseille, De Zerbi described him as “a good lad” who had “paid in a strong way for what happened”.

“I wasn’t surprised,” he said of the backlash. “I was a bit sad and sorry it happened, because I’m sorry if somebody took offence. I must repeat what I said the other time. This topic is very close to me, I’m very sensitive about this topic, because of the person I am and because I have a daughter.

“And so I must repeat what I said the other time. I have always been against – always – any type of violence, especially against women. But not only violence – even just sexist jokes or other sexist behaviour.”

Does he hope fans will accept his apology? “Yes, also because I’m not going to go back over this topic. I spoke about it in my first interview, I spoke about it today, and it wouldn’t be right to go back over this topic again.”