De Zerbi Warns Tottenham Must Fix Fitness Crisis Before Aston Villa Clash

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi says his players must quickly adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League as the club attempts to recover from a winless start and an extended scoring drought.

Tottenham will host Aston Villa on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. BST (7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT). The match will be shown live in the United Kingdom on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, with streaming available through the HBO Max app.

Both clubs are part of an ignominious group of five top-flight teams that have not won through their first four league matches. Coventry City, Fulham, and Bournemouth are also in that group, while Tottenham are still looking for their first Premier League goal of the season.

De Zerbi took over as Tottenham manager on March 31 and has identified the squad’s baseline conditioning as a central problem. His demanding, high-pressing approach requires peak physical output, but he believes that standard was not established during the off-season.

“We started pre-season without a great physical condition,” De Zerbi said. “The players have to understand the intensity of the Premier League.”

The physical concerns also surfaced during Tuesday’s EFL Cup match, when Tottenham were eliminated after a 3-1 defeat by Liverpool. De Zerbi said the team’s defensive reactions were too slow and lacked sharpness.

“We conceded the first goal in a bad way,” he said. “One long ball to Gakpo should not be enough to concede. For the second, we could have closed Gakpo down better and stronger. The third goal is individual quality from Dominik Szoboszlai.”

A three-week international break follows Saturday’s fixture, but De Zerbi does not intend for the players to use the period simply for rest. Tottenham’s coaching staff has prepared rigorous individual training programs so the squad does not lose ground away from the club’s training ground.

“They can’t lose all their physical condition,” De Zerbi said. “They have to work, and we have prepared a plan for individual training because, when the group comes back, we have to restart immediately.”

Tottenham are also managing the rehabilitation of winger Dejan Kulusevski. The Sweden international has been out since May 2025 with a severe knee injury, leaving a major loss in the club’s attacking options over the past year.

“We have to manage Deki in the best way we can,” De Zerbi said. “His potential return is a great thing for us because he is a good player and a good guy. He deserves to play again and we have to work day by day.”

The international break is viewed as an important opportunity to move Kulusevski toward first-team contention without rushing his rehabilitation. De Zerbi said the winger could eventually provide a major addition to the squad.

“For Deki, the international break is important because when he is at top condition and over the injury, he will be like another new signing,” De Zerbi added.

The Premier League weekend begins on Friday night, when Brentford hosts Chelsea. Saturday also includes Brighton & Hove Albion against Arsenal and newly promoted Hull City’s trip to Newcastle United.

### Premier League Fixtures

* **Friday, Sept. 18**
* Brentford vs. Chelsea — 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT

* **Saturday, Sept. 19**
* Tottenham Hotspur vs. Aston Villa — 12:30 BST / 07:30 ET / 04:30 PT
* Everton vs. Ipswich Town — 15:00 BST / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT
* Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Arsenal — 15:00 BST / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT
* Newcastle United vs. Hull City — 15:00 BST / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT
* Nottingham Forest vs. Coventry City — 17:30 BST / 12:30 ET / 09:30 PT

The remainder of the weekend schedule includes Bournemouth vs. Liverpool, Manchester City vs. Sunderland, Leeds United vs. Crystal Palace, and Fulham vs. Manchester United.

* **Sunday, Sept. 20**
* Bournemouth vs. Liverpool — 14:00 BST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT
* Manchester City vs. Sunderland — 14:00 BST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT
* Leeds United vs. Crystal Palace — 14:00 BST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT
* Fulham vs. Manchester United — 16:30 BST / 11:30 ET / 08:30 PT