Roberto De Zerbi is under growing pressure after Tottenham Hotspur slipped to a 3-2 home defeat against Aston Villa, leaving the club without a Premier League win after five matches.
Tottenham have collected two points from their opening five league fixtures, drawing twice and losing three times. The defeat left them 18th in the table, inside the relegation zone, after a summer rebuild that cost more than £300 million.
Villa led 3-0 before Tottenham launched a late response. Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke scored in the closing stages to give the home crowd hope, but De Zerbi’s side could not complete the comeback.
The late strikes were significant because Tottenham had failed to score in their first four Premier League matches, an unprecedented start in the club’s history. They had previously lost to Brentford and Newcastle before draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton.
Attacking concerns remain
Despite finally opening their league scoring account, Tottenham’s attacking problems remain central to the pressure on De Zerbi. The manager has repeatedly called on his players to shoot more often and take clearer chances.
After Tottenham’s League Cup defeat at Liverpool, De Zerbi said: “We have to shoot more times, we have to shoot better.” He also accepted responsibility for the result, saying: “I’m sorry, and it’s my responsibility.”
Tottenham began against Aston Villa with Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Dominic Solanke in attack, with Mateus Fernandes operating as the No. 10. Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison were introduced from the bench as De Zerbi sought more invention.
Marmoush has yet to make a decisive impact following his arrival, while Savinho’s direct running has not consistently converted into end product. De Zerbi’s challenge is to turn a heavily rebuilt squad into a coherent attacking unit quickly enough to relieve mounting scrutiny.
What happens next
Reports have suggested that De Zerbi’s position could come under serious threat if results do not improve through October, when Tottenham face Manchester United, Chelsea, Coventry and Crystal Palace after the international break. That is a reported scenario, not a confirmed club ultimatum.
For now, De Zerbi insists that the side has enough quality to recover. Before the Villa fixture, he said: “We have the quality; we just need to find a way to break free.”
Tottenham’s immediate priority is simpler: translate possession and chance creation into wins. The club finally found the net against Villa, but the defeat deepened a crisis that a costly summer rebuild was supposed to prevent.
