Under pressure, Tottenham boss lays into his team

The atmosphere at Tottenham grew even heavier after Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa (19).

Under serious risk of being sacked, coach Roberto De Zerbi laid bare the crisis by harshly criticizing his players.

“I was very disappointed, very sad, very frustrated with the performance. We cannot lose this game like this, no way. We cannot concede the second goal. We cannot lose our balance. At the start of the second half, I spoke with the four forwards so they would use their heads and stay calm. It was the 51st minute. Throughout the entire second half, we stayed calm, we played, we took our chances, we took no risks. But the goal we conceded, the second goal, was unbelievable,” said De Zerbi.

Without a win in the first five Premier League rounds, Spurs are languishing in next-to-last place in the table.

Coach De Zerbi’s outburst showed his frustration with the team’s attitude, describing the defensive mistakes as unacceptable.

The focus of his anger was on the plays that led to them falling behind on the scoreboard:

• Aston Villa opened the scoring six minutes into the second half through Manzambi, taking advantage of a moment of inattention while defender Van de Ven was receiving medical treatment off the pitch.

• Just eight minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead after a long ball played directly from the goalkeeper. The coach revealed that the squad had been repeatedly warned that Villa had increased its use of long balls by 86% this season, which made the goal, in his words, “unbelievable.”

Aston Villa opened the scoring six minutes into the second half through Manzambi, taking advantage of a moment of inattention while defender Van de Ven was receiving medical treatment off the pitch.

Just eight minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead after a long ball played directly from the goalkeeper. The coach revealed that the squad had been repeatedly warned that Villa had increased its use of long balls by 86% this season, which made the goal, in his words, “unbelievable.”

The 2026/27 campaign has been a statistical and sporting nightmare for the London side:

• Abysmal record: The team has managed a success rate of just 14.2%, with only one win in seven official matches under the Italian this year.

• Negative balance: There have been four defeats and two draws, with 12 goals conceded and only 8 scored.

• Double early failure: In addition to taking just two points from five Premier League matches (leaving them in the relegation zone), Tottenham have already been knocked out of the EFL Cup by Liverpool.

Abysmal record: The team has managed a success rate of just 14.2%, with only one win in seven official matches under the Italian this year.

Negative balance: There have been four defeats and two draws, with 12 goals conceded and only 8 scored.

Double early failure: In addition to taking just two points from five Premier League matches (leaving them in the relegation zone), Tottenham have already been knocked out of the EFL Cup by Liverpool.

While demanding more attitude, De Zerbi said he was taking responsibility himself, but sent a direct message to the dressing room: “Leaders need to be leaders and lead the team. Football is like life: either you are stronger or you lose.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.