Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi cut a frustrated figure after his side's goalless draw with Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The result stung. What pleased the Italian, though, was the level his players showed, and he expects that performance to sharpen once the group builds cohesion.
The point was Tottenham's first of the league season. They lost 3-0 to Brentford on the opening day, then fell at home to Newcastle (2-0).
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, as reported by the BBC, De Zerbi said: "I feel disappointed because of the result, but I am very happy with the performance. Considering that we started working together for the first time last Thursday, that is, since day one, I think we are capable of improving when it comes to the final decision and the final pass. I remember the situation with Omar Marmoush when he shot the ball, while Andy Robertson was behind him and advancing on the same side. If we succeed in improving our performance in the final third of the pitch, then I think we are capable of scoring a lot of goals, because we have players of great quality. Right now it is hard to accept this result, because I think we put in a good match."
"We have to keep working, because I think we played very well when we had the ball, and we succeeded in finding solutions," he added. "I think we are capable of being much better in the final third of the pitch."
"The team's mentality is to win, win, then win," he continued. "But I think we have to stay calm to maintain our self-confidence. And I think we have players with enough quality to score a lot of goals, such as Dominic Solanke, Savio, and Omar Marmoush."
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On the second half, De Zerbi said: "I feel sorry because the medical staff asked me to substitute Savio and Destiny Udogie after 60 minutes had passed. Mohammed Kudus and Andy Robertson played very well, but perhaps making two substitutions at that moment was not a very sound decision. But we cannot risk Savio getting injured again, he is a very important player for us, and the same applies to Destiny. Perhaps we lost some balance and some connection between the lines. We have to respect Nottingham Forest, because they relied continuously on second balls and long balls."
Turning to the injuries in his squad, he said: "We have to improve in every aspect of football, whether in terms of organisation when we have the ball or when it is not with us. And even today, I think we defended very well. We signed very good players, but you cannot simply build a team by relying on names, as happens in the game (Football Manager)."
Asked about Nottingham Forest's disallowed goal, he concluded: "I did not watch the replay, so I cannot answer your question."