Tottenham bottom of Premier League after 3-2 defeat by Aston Villa
Tottenham Hotspur enter the first international break bottom of the Premier League after a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, the latest setback for a side that appointed Roberto De Zerbi in March. The club, which feared possible relegation when it brought in De Zerbi, has since invested heavily in the squad.
In March Tottenham spent big to bring in Roberto De Zerbi while worrying about relegation and ultimately secured their top-flight status on the final day of the season. Since that appointment the club has spent a net £175m ($234m) on transfers, a change that initially suggested the Daniel Levy era of fiscal caution had been relaxed. Preseason expectations included European qualification, but early results have undermined those hopes.
The campaign began poorly with a 3-0 defeat at Brentford, a result the article attributes to Spurs fielding a mixed, undercooked team against opponents who had prepared their squad earlier in the window. A week later Tottenham lost 2-0 at home to Newcastle, and those results set an uneasy tone for the start of the season.
Two goalless draws, against Nottingham Forest and Everton, appeared to stabilise the side briefly, but their 3-2 loss to Aston Villa highlighted deeper problems. The two goals Tottenham scored in that match lifted them above Coventry to second-bottom of the goal-scoring charts, while they remain ninth for shots, a mismatch the writer says should frustrate rather than cause panic.
The Villa goals exposed both individual mistakes and structural issues. Before half-time Micky van de Ven was off the pitch receiving treatment and Andy Robertson, attempting to prevent the ball running out for a corner, conceded possession to John McGinn; a cut-back and a scuffed shot left Johan Manzambi unmarked in the six-yard box to score after Villa keeper Zion Suzuki had made a string of saves.
The second Villa goal came from a long punt that was not dealt with, Nicolas Jackson bringing the ball down before Van de Ven failed to get tight enough and a shot that bounced in off Antonin Kinsky’s hand. Emi Buendía supplied the third, whipping the ball into the top corner with time and space while James Maddison, who had been marking João Gomes, was slightly turned away as the shot was struck. The piece notes moments of misfortune — Robertson might have cleared the ball for a throw-in, Boubacar Kamara’s mishit cross ‘‘could have gone anywhere’’, Jackson will not always take down a chest-high ball so cleanly, and Buendía will not always pick out the top corner.
De Zerbi described his side as ‘‘too fragile’’, referring to both physical and mental aspects, the article reports. The club has players returning from injury, made several late arrivals in the transfer window and experienced curtailed preseasons; these factors feed into growing doubts about some summer signings, with questions raised such as ‘‘Is Sandro Tonali really worth £100m?’’ and observations that Mateus Fernandes ‘‘played for a relegated side’’. The piece adds that Jan Paul van Hecke may struggle outside Brighton’s environment, that Sávio and Omar Marmoush struggled to break into the Manchester City team, and that Sávio’s finishing yielded just two league goals in two seasons at City and ‘‘the evidence of Saturday is that it has not improved.’’
The article concludes that expectations of a better season have been undermined by these early results and personnel issues. It states that ‘‘It’s still implausible Spurs could be relegated, unlikely even that they’ll be in another fight, but those preseason thoughts of European qualification are already beginning to look bafflingly optimistic – and that will inevitably slow the rebuilding of the club.’’
