MusaTottenham Hotspur’s disastrous start to the new Premier League campaign reached another worrying low on Saturday as Roberto De Zerbi admitted he had never managed a team as “fragile” as his current Spurs side.
The Italian manager was left searching for answers after Tottenham surrendered another promising performance to suffer a 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa, a result that leaves the north London club in the relegation zone after five league matches without a victory.
Spurs remain without a league win
Tottenham’s difficult start continued at the weekend as Aston Villa came from behind to secure a 3-2 victory.
The result leaves Spurs languishing in the relegation zone, with De Zerbi’s side still searching for their first Premier League win of the campaign.
Having successfully guided Tottenham away from relegation last season, De Zerbi has endured a dramatically different beginning to his second year in charge.
Spurs once again showed signs of promise during the opening stages against Villa, creating opportunities and controlling large periods of the first half. However, their failure to turn that dominance into goals was followed by another dramatic collapse after the break.
The latest defeat has increased the pressure surrounding the team and raised further questions about Tottenham’s ability to maintain their level when matches become difficult.
De Zerbi questions Tottenham’s mentality
Speaking to talkSPORT after the final whistle, De Zerbi openly questioned the mentality and consistency of his players.
The Spurs boss admitted he was struggling to understand why his team repeatedly performs at a high level before allowing matches to slip away from them.
“It’s difficult to explain because, in my career, 14 years as a coach, I’ve never seen one team like us,” De Zerbi said.
“So fragile, so inconsistent. You’re good, or you’re bad. You can’t be very good in the first 30, 40 minutes, and then concede like this in this way. It’s tough to accept for me.”
Asked what had caused Tottenham’s latest collapse, De Zerbi conceded that even he did not yet have an explanation.
“Listen, I’m a coach, but I do not have all the answers… for your question, I have no answer.”
He continued: “I can say what I think, what I’ve seen today and I saw my team in the first half play very well, we had chances to score.
“We didn’t score and then we conceded the first goal… we have to stay closer and stay stronger, more compact.
“In the second half, after Kudus’ goal, I don’t know if the players lost energy… now we have to explain another defeat.”
De Zerbi calls for stronger leaders
For De Zerbi, the problem appears to extend beyond tactics.
The Tottenham manager also pointed to a lack of leadership within the squad, suggesting his players must communicate better and show greater authority when matches begin to turn against them.
“Maybe the communication between the players [is the problem], maybe the leaders have to be stronger,” he added.
“We need leaders to drive and lead the team. With Newcastle it was the same, in Liverpool it was the same, with Everton it was the same… we have to find the solutions.”
The comments underline a worrying pattern that has emerged during Tottenham’s opening fixtures.
Spurs have repeatedly shown flashes of quality before losing control of matches, leaving De Zerbi with the difficult task of finding a solution to what he clearly sees as a deeper problem.
With Tottenham still searching for their first league victory, the manager now faces the challenge of restoring confidence, improving communication and ensuring his players can maintain their performances for the full 90 minutes.
Musa
