‘Like a family’: De Zerbi credits players’ talk and bonding trip for improving Tottenham

Roberto De Zerbi credited a clear-the-air meeting and a warm-weather bonding trip to Marbella for Tottenham Hotspur's improved togetherness following a 3-1 victory against Coventry City. The manager explained that the squad resolved to take responsibility and play like a family rather than robots. The victory marked Tottenham's first Premier League win of the season and lifted them out of the bottom three into 16th place.

James Maddison opened the scoring in his first start in 536 days, with Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies securing the win after Jack Rudoni equalized for Coventry. Dejan Kulusevski also made his return from a long-term knee injury as a substitute. Coventry manager Frank Lampard praised his side's performance but argued that Marmoush's goal should have been disallowed for an elbow on Milan van Ewijk.