Roberto De Zerbi tore into his Tottenham players for the way they handled Aston Villa's first and second goals, urging the team's leaders to shoulder responsibility and drag their teammates through, after a 3-2 defeat in the fifth round of the Premier League.
Yohan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia struck for Villa. Spurs fought back in the second half and scored their first and second league goals of the season, but the equaliser never came.
"In the moments when we have to defend, we must defend with cohesion and keep the lines close together," De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference. "And the leaders must exercise their leadership role and lead the team."
Poor positioning caused the first goal, and the Italian saw no excuse for it. Micky van de Ven had left the pitch for treatment after a facial injury, leaving Spurs down to 10 men, and Villa pounced on the space to score.
The second, he admitted, was harder to explain. His side conceded from a goal kick, and De Zerbi insisted Tottenham had to keep their balance rather than lose it the moment they fell behind.
Villa's third arrived in the second half, after Mohammed Kudus had a goal chalked off for offside. Spurs had dominated the opening and spurned a string of chances.
This defeat leaves Tottenham with their worst-ever start to a Premier League season after five matches: two points and a goal difference of minus six. That eclipses their 2008-2009 campaign, when they managed two points with a goal difference of minus three.
De Zerbi took the blame squarely on the chin, but demanded his players handle the defensive moments better. "It is my responsibility... I take my responsibility," he said.
The international break now keeps Tottenham out of domestic action for three weeks. They travel to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 10 October, chasing a first league win of the season.