Roberto De Zerbi must look beyond Kevin Danso error, stats show he’s vital to Tottenham’s survival hopes

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(Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media, Imago) Sun 19 April 2026 18:45, UK Roberto De Zerbi would have been cursing his luck on Saturday as his Tottenham Hotspur side conceded in stoppage time to draw 2-2 with his former club Brighton. The Italian is now winless in his first two games in charge of the Lilywhites, which is undoubtedly not the start that he would have hoped for as he bids to save them from an embarrassing relegation to the Championship.It could have been very different for the Lilywhites this weekend, had a moment of hesitation from Kevin Danso not allowed Jan Paul van Hecke to pick his pocket inside the box and square for Georginio Rutter to equalise.The Austrian’s lapse in concentration ultimately cost his team a crucial three points that would have lifted them out of the relegation zone, but the manager cannot afford to punish him for his mistake.

Tottenham are running out of time to save their Premier League status, and despite his pivotal error, Danso turned in the kind of performance that the boss would have loved on Saturday. What has Roberto De Zerbi said about Danso’s error for Tottenham?De Zerbi will know that the feeling within his squad is fragile after the season they have endured, and it was clear that he was keen to try and protect that when speaking about the equaliser after the game.

Roberto De Zerbi: "Danso played another fantastic game, but the ball was with Danso. He lost the ball and then we conceded a goal,” the 46-year-old said after the game, according to Alasdair Gold.“But I prefer to make mistakes with the personality to play than to concede a goal without personality, without courage.”The boss’ immediate stance on the moment is a clear indication that he will likely stand by Danso and select him from the off for next week’s clash with Wolves, rather than try and make him learn from his switch off.