£300m spent and bottom of the table as De Zerbi insists he is 'not angry' after 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle
Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi said he was "not angry" after his side's 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle in the Premier League on 29 August 2026 and added there was "no panic" as the loss left Spurs bottom of the table.
Spurs entered the season under pressure after more than £300m was spent in the summer and with fans expecting a push back into Europe following a Europa League triumph two seasons ago and a last-16 Champions League appearance in March. The club finished seventeenth in the Premier League in 2024-25 and seventeenth again in 2025-26, avoiding relegation on the final day, and Roberto de Zerbi has recorded four wins, two draws and four losses in his 10 Tottenham matches in charge in all competitions.
Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa scored in a 10-minute spell early in the second half to secure Newcastle's 2-0 victory, with thousands of Spurs supporters leaving the stadium early. Tottenham have won only three home league matches from their past 23 at their stadium, a stat that contributed to the fans' visible frustration.
Tottenham had suffered a 3-0 loss at Brentford the previous week and again failed to find the net on Saturday, registering 17 attempts with six on target while Newcastle scored with both of their attempts on target. That combination left Spurs with two Premier League games played, two defeats and no goals scored, sitting 20th out of 20.
Summer arrivals included Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m, Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for £100m, Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52m and Savio (formerly Savinho) from Manchester City for £75m, although Savio missed the match because of "muscle fatigue". Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka arrived on free transfers, and Omar Marmoush made his debut against Newcastle following his loan from Manchester City, with the deal becoming a permanent £60m transfer next summer.
Reacting to the result, De Zerbi said: "We can improve in the defensive phases but today was an unfair result. Disappointed for the result because until the first goal we conceded, we played better than Newcastle." He added: "Disappointed for the result and [for] our fans. We are working to be a great team. When we become a team, we can change the story of the last two seasons for Tottenham." He also insisted: "Forget the result," and repeated, "I am not angry, we are working well and were unlucky today with the result. "There is no panic. I know where we are going and what the plan is. I'm sorry for the fans for the result. We have to improve. We have to work hard on the pitch and find the connection between the players."
Former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Joe Hart said: "The frustration in the stadium, and among the fans, will be they are looking at that Spurs team and wondering what they are trying to achieve. When you see a Newcastle side who have been through massive change over the summer - and a more difficult change than Spurs have - it's hard as in two games you can clearly see what [Newcastle boss] Matthias Jaissle is trying to do. The players are on board with it and they are flying. The concern for Tottenham is they can't say the same. But there's been a lot of change and it's not easy to bed in that many players under so much pressure. Hardly anyone has been able to find the remedy at the club so it's not like it's an easy fix. They've not just suddenly fallen off a cliff, they've been struggling in the league for a while. Roberto de Zerbi needs to get his new players to settle in quickly as the Premier League comes at you so fast, and it feels like his team are second-guessing everything at the moment." Rob Green added: "Lukas Hornicek made some saves in the first half but Tottenham were short of invention, creation, goals. For Tottenham, the same questions last season are still here this season. Performances like this will indicate that they need a vast improvement from this set of players that have come into this club. They will need the characters as much as anything to turn this around. It doesn't take much for these Spurs fans to turn and the belief start to drain from the players."
De Zerbi, who was appointed at the end of March and earned 11 points in seven matches to keep Spurs up, warned change will not be instant, saying: "We have to improve and to change two seasons like the last two is impossible in 10 days and with people in the transfer market." He added: "We have to work hard on the pitch and find the connection with the players because last season before the end of the season we were in the Championship and we stayed up together. Now we have to keep calm and focus on improvement. We have a great squad and great players."
The transfer window closes on Tuesday and De Zerbi said he was still seeking "one player more in one specific position". On the possibility of departures he said: "I have very good relationships but if they want to leave, they have to bring the solution, the economic solution, to the club, and they can go."
