De Zerbi ‘very sad and frustrated’ as Tottenham maintain winless start
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 15: Roberto De Zerbi, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, looks on before the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on September 15, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Tottenham finally scored in the Premier League and still lost, beaten 3-2 at home by Aston Villa after falling three behind, and Roberto De Zerbi made no attempt to dress it up.
According to football.london, the Italian said: “Today I was very disappointed, very sad, very frustrated for the performance. Because we can’t lose this game, in this way, absolutely. We can’t concede the second goal. We can’t lose balance, just because in the first half we are losing.”
De Zerbi: ‘We conceded an unacceptable goal’
His anger centred on the circumstances of Villa’s opener, conceded in stoppage time at the end of the first half while Spurs were momentarily a man short.
“I don’t want to speak about the first half when we dominated the game, we create more chances to score, we play well,” he said. “My focus is why we concede the first goal with 10 players, just for one minute in that situation. We can stay stronger, we can communicate more, we can defend in a compact way.”
The second was worse, and he insisted it had been specifically prepared for. “We conceded an unacceptable goal from a long goal kick, with a long ball. We knew before the game, because this season Aston Villa are playing 86% more long balls than last season, and we spoke in many meetings yesterday and two days ago.”
He did not deflect. “For sure it’s an aspect, it’s my responsibility, I don’t want to leave without taking my responsibility. But in that moment of the game, when the game is different than ball possession, when we have to defend, we have to defend compact, the leaders have to be leaders, and lead the team.”
De Zerbi: ‘The transfer market is long to explain’
Asked about Nicolas Jackson’s display and whether Spurs erred in not signing a striker, De Zerbi pointed to constraints rather than oversight. “The transfer market is long to explain. There was also the financial fair play at the end of the transfer market. We didn’t sell the players who we thought, in the beginning, there was the possibility to sell. I think the club and the coach, we are not sleeping, we know the characteristics of the players. If we didn’t make any different decisions, it was because we couldn’t.”
He also renewed his backing of Dominic Solanke. “We need more from him, for sure, but he’s one of my players. I like Dom as a player, and I stay with him until the end. The physical condition is not good enough, for sure, and maybe it’s not good enough in the confidence of himself in this moment, because he’s much better than this Domi Solanke.”
Five games in, Spurs have two points and a win still to come. Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke at least ended the goal drought that had run past 400 minutes, though both arrived after Johan Manzambi, Jackson and Emiliano Buendia had put the game out of reach. Mohammed Kudus thought he had halved the deficit on the hour only for VAR to rule it out for an Andy Robertson offside.
The international break now takes much of the squad away, which De Zerbi suggested may not be the worst outcome. “Maybe it’s better. I didn’t speak with the players today because I didn’t want to say anything.”
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