Roberto De Zerbi remains optimistic Tottenham can avoid Premier League relegation but admitted the pressure of being close to the drop is affecting his players.

Spurs suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in De Zerbi’s first match in charge, with Nordi Mukiele’s 61st-minute goal enough to separate the sides at the Stadium of Light.

Each of the last two Spurs bosses have now lost their first Premier League match in charge of the club (Igor Tudor v Arsenal in February, De Zerbi on Sunday).

This comes after none of the previous nine (including caretakers) lost their first league game in charge (W6 D3).

It was Spurs’ 16th defeat of the season, and means they remain 18th in the table, sitting in the relegation zone at the end of a matchday for the first time.

They are two points adrift of safety with six games left to play, and De Zerbi believes the very real chance of dropping into the Championship is weighing heavily on his players’ minds.

When asked if Spurs’ problems were a direct result of their relegation fight, De Zerbi said: “I think so.

“If you ask me, I am 46 years old. I have much [more] experience than the players, and I am positive absolutely because I know them as guys and players and for that I am positive, not because we are Tottenham or because I have to do positive [things].

“They have the quality to win one game and the target now, the closest target is to win one game, because if we win a game, we can see everything in a different way.

“You know me as a coach, but one very important part for my style of coaching is the mental part, to transfer the confidence of the players, to give what they need in terms of mentality and confidence.

“For that, we could play better because during the week they play better because their heads are clean. During the game, it is different for sure. My work to help them, to show them what they do during the week during the game.”

According to the Opta supercomputer, Spurs have a 46.1% chance of going down, with their most likely finishing position currently 18th (45.9%).

They have now failed to win any of their last 14 Premier League matches (D5 L9), which is their outright second-longest run without a league victory in their history, behind a run of 16 between December 1934 and April 1935.

Spurs have not been relegated from the top-flight since 1976-77, but De Zerbi, who signed a five-year deal with Spurs, is confident they will still be in the Premier League next term.

“We are in a difficult moment,” he added. “My job is not now to change the style of play.

“We did two or three things with the ball, without the ball, but the crucial part is our mentality, to be positive. We have the quality to win a game. When we win a game, we change everything.”

Spurs captain Cristian Romero left the field in tears after a collision with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, resulting in him suffering a knee injury.

“We have to see in the next days,” De Zerbi said of Romero. “I hope for us not an important problem because he is a crucial player for us.

“A good guy, top player, big personality, and we need him to finish the season and to achieve our goal.

“Maybe yes [it is his knee], but I don’t want to say anything because I don’t know.”