adminTottenham Hotspur have been warned that they could once again find themselves involved in a Premier League relegation battle after a disastrous opening to the new campaign.
Despite making a major financial commitment during the summer transfer window, Roberto De Zerbi’s side have struggled badly for results. Their latest setback came on Saturday when Aston Villa secured a dramatic 3-2 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The defeat leaves Spurs with just two points from their first five Premier League matches, marking the club’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season.
Spurs Hit New Low Under De Zerbi
Tottenham’s difficult start reached another worrying stage against Aston Villa as they suffered their fourth defeat in five league matches.
The North London club had hoped that a significant summer rebuild would help them move away from the relegation problems that followed consecutive 17th-place finishes. Instead, their expensive new-look squad has failed to produce the immediate improvement many supporters expected.
De Zerbi is now facing increasing pressure to find solutions, with Tottenham looking vulnerable both defensively and in front of goal.
The club reportedly spent more than £300 million during the summer, bringing in players such as Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke and Omar Marmoush.
However, the investment has so far failed to deliver the desired results.
Late goals from Conor Gallagher and van Hecke finally gave Spurs something to celebrate in front of goal, but their efforts were not enough to prevent another defeat.
Joe Cole Questions Tottenham’s Recruitment
Former Chelsea and West Ham midfielder Joe Cole was particularly critical of Tottenham’s situation during his analysis for TNT Sports.
Cole questioned the club’s recruitment strategy and suggested that Spurs cannot completely dismiss the possibility of becoming involved in another relegation fight.
“They have overpaid for every player that they bought this summer. You can’t rule them out of being in or around the relegation battle. They are not scoring goals, and they look so weak at the back,” Cole said.
The former England international also singled out Tottenham’s defensive performance against Villa, particularly van Hecke’s difficulty dealing with Nicolas Jackson.
Although van Hecke managed to get on the scoresheet, Cole felt the defender’s overall display highlighted a major problem within De Zerbi’s system.
“Van Hecke scored the goal but he has to be disappointed with his performance. I know that the way they play leaves the centre-halves vulnerable but that’s why you buy centre-halves who can deal with those one-on-one challenges,” Cole explained.
“I know he’s a handful, Jackson, but for the goal it’s not good enough.”
Cole went on to warn that Tottenham’s problems extend beyond their inability to score.
“I think they’ve got a real problem with – forget scoring goals – they look fragile, as well. Put the two together and it only comes up with one conclusion. This is going to be a long season for Tottenham.”
Steven Gerrard Points To Deeper Problems
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard also raised concerns about Tottenham’s current situation, although he acknowledged that the club had strengthened certain areas of the squad.
Spurs’ only competitive victory this season has come in the Carabao Cup, where they defeated Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the second round. They were subsequently eliminated by Liverpool in the next round.
Gerrard believes Tottenham’s midfield is now considerably stronger following the arrivals and availability of players such as Tonali, Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur.
“The midfield engine room is stronger with Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, Rodrigo Bentancur. That’s a strong midfield. Conor Gallagher could have started. I don’t think midfield is a big problem,” Gerrard said.
Instead, he identified Tottenham’s defence as one of their biggest weaknesses.
“They are weak and flaky at the back, and concede too many goals. A straight, long ball? If your two centre-backs can’t deal with that, you are going to have problems. That needs to be fixed.”
Lack Of Goals Adds To Tottenham’s Problems
While defensive mistakes have attracted significant criticism, Tottenham’s lack of goals has become another major concern.
Despite having several talented and creative attacking players, Spurs have yet to find a dependable goalscorer capable of consistently converting chances and changing the outcome of tight matches.
Gerrard believes that could become increasingly costly as the season progresses.
“They haven’t got a poacher, they haven’t got a goalscorer. I say that respectfully because they have good players, exciting players, in the frontline,” the former Liverpool captain said.
“But who’s going to get 20 goals? If you haven’t got that, and you concede goals at the back, it might be time to get concerned for Spurs fans.”
With Tottenham struggling to score and continuing to concede goals at the other end, De Zerbi now faces a major challenge to turn the club’s season around before their difficult start develops into an even more serious problem.
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