Tottenham assistant Bruno Saltor is “100 percent” sure the club can avoid relegation despite a crushing defeat to Nottingham Forest that deepens their crisis.
Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Bruno Saltor insists he is “100 percent” certain the club can survive a Premier League relegation battle. His defiant claim follows a disastrous 3-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
The loss leaves Spurs just one point and one place above the relegation zone with seven games remaining. Forest’s precious three points lift them above Tottenham into 16th spot.
Saltor addressed the media in place of interim manager Igor Tudor, who was absent due to a family bereavement. “Obviously it’s a difficult moment for him,” Saltor said. “We’re just trying to support the best way we can.”
Despite a vocal show of support from thousands of fans and a dominant first-half performance, Tottenham collapsed. Igor Jesus headed Forest ahead just before half-time, with Morgan Gibbs-White and substitute Taiwo Awoniyi completing the emphatic win.
Saltor pointed to a lack of fortune for his struggling side, who have not won a league game since late December. “Every mistake right now is going against us, every detail is going against us and it affects the players as well,” he told Sky Sports.
“You can see how much they are fighting. We are in a difficult situation, everyone knows.” He added that the defeat was “painful, really painful,” but praised the “outstanding” support from the fans.
The assistant coach drew belief from recent performances against Liverpool and Atletico Madrid. “I thought they were great performances from the first minute to the last minute,” he told reporters.
“On the first half today, I think we should have been 1-0 up. If you look at the stats, we created clear chances, but as I said, right now, every small detail is going against us. It’s about turning that around and that’s what gives me confidence.”
Forest boss Vitor Pereira praised his team’s character in a vital victory. “They showed personality, they showed character, they show confidence,” he said. “The players, they showed everything.”
Pereira revealed he challenged his squad before the match. “The question that I asked them before the game is ‘How deep do you want to be in the Premier League next season? How much can you sacrifice from yourselves to be in the Premier League next season?'”
The win is a huge boost for Forest, who are on their fourth manager of a turbulent campaign after finishing seventh last term. Tottenham, last season’s Europa League champions, now face a fight to avoid their first relegation since 1977.
