Tottenham's miserable start to the new Premier League season continued on Saturday with a 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa. The winless Spurs have now dropped back to second bottom, even at this early stage of the season.
On Sunday, FC Fulham need only a point to send Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane's former club to the bottom of the Premier League table.
De Zerbi kept Spurs up last season, but despite huge investment in the summer transfer window, they have clearly gone backwards. The pattern is obvious: Tottenham look desperately unstable.
Good spells are followed by glaring collapses. In the basement battle with Villa, Spurs started well at home, but Johan Manzambi's 1-0 in first-half stoppage time badly rattled the team.
"It is hard to explain because in my 14-year career as a coach I have never seen a team like ours," De Zerbi told talkSPORT. "So fragile, so inconsistent. Either you are good or you are bad. You cannot play very well in the first 30, 40 minutes and then concede goals in this way. That is hard for me to accept."
When asked why his side are so unstable, the 47-year-old admitted he had no answer.
Getty ImagesHow did Tottenham strengthen in the summer?
De Zerbi suggested his players may have "run out of energy" after Mohammed Kudus's supposed equaliser was ruled out for offside (60), before shifting the focus to another problem.
"We need leaders who drive the team on and really lead it," said the Italian, without naming names. "It was the same against Newcastle, it was the same in Liverpool, it was the same against Everton - we have to find solutions!"
The first international break now gives De Zerbi time to look for answers. But with so many players away on international duty, any collective review of the failed start to the season, with only two points from five games, is out of the question.
Tottenham spent more than €360 million in the summer on stars including Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Savio and Jan Paul van Hecke, to name only the most expensive transfers. Former Bundesliga goalscorer Omar Marmoush also arrived on loan, while Liverpool legend Andy Robertson joined on a free transfer. Tottenham's Premier League season continues on 10 October with an away game at Manchester United.
Premier League: what is the situation at the bottom of the table?
Position | Team | Played | W-D-L | Goals | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1-1-3 | 4:9 | -5 | 4 |
16 | Bournemouth | 4 | 0-3-1 | 6:7 | -1 | 3 |
17 | Crystal Palace | 4 | 1-0-3 | 6:11 | -5 | 3 |
18 | Coventry City | 5 | 1-0-4 | 1:10 | -9 | 3 |
19 | Tottenham | 5 | 0-2-3 | 2:8 | -6 | 2 |
20 | FC Fulham | 4 | 0-1-3 | 4:7 | -3 | 1 |