In March, Tottenham reacted to the threat of relegation by making a major investment in Roberto De Zerbi, who was negotiating from an exceptionally strong position. Performances improved noticeably, and the club secured survival on the final day. Spurs have since spent a net £175m ($234m) to strengthen the squad, suggesting that the financial restraint associated with the Daniel Levy years had ended. Despite that significant outlay, Tottenham enter the first international break at the bottom of the Premier League.
Confidence has clearly played a part in their struggles. Spurs began the campaign at Brentford with an unsettled and visibly underprepared lineup, suffering a 3-0 defeat against opponents who looked far more organized. The result was not entirely unexpected, given Brentford’s effective and early transfer business. More alarming was the following match, when Tottenham made a promising start but faded and lost 2-0 at home to Newcastle.
Scoreless draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton appeared to provide some stability. Tottenham’s main weakness still seemed to be self-belief: they were cautious on the ball and hesitant whenever opportunities appeared. Their two goals in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Aston Villa lifted them above Coventry into second-last place in the scoring rankings, even though they sit ninth for total shots. That imbalance should create irritation rather than alarm, because their finishing is likely to improve eventually.
However, Saturday’s performance exposed deeper problems. What initially looked like uncertainty in front of goal now appears to be developing into a broader psychological decline. Spurs again opened the match positively, forcing Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki into several saves. Shortly before half-time, though, they conceded in chaotic fashion. Micky van de Ven was receiving treatment off the field when Andy Robertson tried to stop the ball from going out for a corner and instead surrendered possession to John McGinn. A low pass followed by a mishit effort left Johan Manzambi completely free inside the six-yard area to score. It was an extremely poor goal to allow.
Villa’s second goal was similarly avoidable. Tottenham failed to handle a long ball, Nicolas Jackson controlled it, Van de Ven gave him too much room, and the resulting shot went in after touching Antonin Kinsky’s hand. Emi Buendía produced an excellent finish into the top corner for Villa’s third, but he had enough time to prepare his strike before James Maddison, who had been tracking João Gomes, could close him down. Maddison might have challenged with greater intensity, and turning slightly away from the shot was unconvincing, but the breakdown was largely caused by Tottenham’s defensive organization.
Spurs also suffered from some misfortune. Robertson could have put the ball out for a throw-in or cleared it farther along the touchline, while Boubacar Kamara’s poorly struck cross might have gone in any direction. Jackson will not control every chest-high pass with such precision, and even a player with Buendía’s technical quality will not consistently find the top corner. Nevertheless, every goal resulted from a mistake of some kind, and the Premier League contains enough elite players to punish those errors.
De Zerbi described Tottenham as “too fragile”, apparently referring to both their physical strength and their state of mind. Several players are still returning from injuries, while numerous additions arrived late in the transfer window. As a result, preseason preparation was shortened and may not have been sufficient.
The scale of Tottenham’s spending and the apparent shift in recruitment policy initially attracted praise, but questions are now being asked about the players signed during the summer. Is Sandro Tonali truly worth £100m? Mateus Fernandes was part of a team that went down. Jan Paul van Hecke may discover that he is less effective away from Brighton’s carefully designed system, as others have before him. Sávio and Omar Marmoush found regular opportunities difficult to secure at Manchester City. Sávio scored only two league goals across two seasons there, and Saturday offered little indication that his finishing has developed.
Many assumed this campaign could not be as difficult as Tottenham’s previous two. They have no European competition dividing their attention, another injury emergency seemed improbable, and De Zerbi had already demonstrated his ability in the Premier League. The club also invested heavily in new players. Even so, the current situation is as troubling as anything Spurs have experienced in recent years. In the past, a club of Tottenham’s size might have treated this start as a temporary setback that would naturally improve over time. After two disappointing seasons, that confidence is much harder to maintain.
Relegation remains an unlikely outcome, and Spurs may not even become involved in another survival battle. However, preseason expectations of qualifying for Europe already seem remarkably hopeful, and falling short of those ambitions would inevitably delay the club’s rebuilding process.
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