Roberto De Zerbi strongly criticised his struggling Tottenham side following their 3-2 loss to Aston Villa, insisting that “we cannot allow ourselves to lose a match like this”. The Italian immediately walked down the tunnel after the final whistle and again heard boos from the stands. Tottenham entered the three-week international break still searching for their first Premier League win, having collected only two points.
De Zerbi questioned both his players’ mentality and their physical readiness. He also claimed that substitute Mohammed Kudus unsettled the team’s shape.
“I feel deeply disappointed, upset and frustrated by that display,” De Zerbi said. “We cannot lose in this manner or concede the second goal as we did. Falling behind cannot cause us to abandon our balance. In the 51st minute, I spoke to our four attacking players and told them to think clearly. Throughout the second half, I kept asking everyone to remain composed, but the second goal was unbelievable.”
Jackson found the net in the 67th minute after reaching a long clearance from the impressive Zion Suzuki. De Zerbi explained that his team had prepared specifically for the Villa goalkeeper’s long distribution but failed to stay alert.
“We were aware that Aston Villa have used 86% more long passes this season than they did last year, and we discussed that repeatedly in our meetings,” De Zerbi said. “Now we must account for another result similar to the home loss against Newcastle. We performed well in the first half, remained in control until around the 60th minute and then ended up losing.”
As several players departed to join their national teams, De Zerbi revealed that he had not given the squad a final message. “I did not address the players today because I did not want to say anything,” he said. “Those joining their national teams must continue playing and working, while those staying behind certainly need to work harder. I was unhappy with the way we finished the match. It would be wrong to say everything was poor, but what we produced was still insufficient.”
For Unai Emery, securing a first Premier League win of the campaign offered an opportunity to remind his squad of the approach that has brought Villa success in recent years. “The players performed well because they maintained their belief,” he said.
“We had to create a side capable of playing this way—defending with determination and showing passion whenever the opposition attacked. We relied on the defenders, the goalkeeper and every other player to commit fully to that objective. Our first priority was to establish confidence and strength; after that, we could use our organisation and technical qualities. That is how a competitive team must perform.”
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