Tottenham Hotspur's troubling inability to find the net continued on Saturday as a goalless draw with Everton left Roberto De Zerbi's side without a Premier League goal through four matches to open the season, a first for the club in the competition. The scoreless run now stretches to 403 minutes, excluding stoppage time, since Joao Palhinha's strike against Everton on the final day of last season, the goal that secured Tottenham's survival.
De Zerbi turned to his native tongue to describe the situation his team finds itself in, saying his players need to be "sbloccare" — unblocked. The Italian manager's frustration was evident throughout a match that started promisingly for the hosts, who pressed Everton hard in the opening stages, but gradually unraveled into a stalemate defined by hesitant, backward passing and a crowd growing increasingly restless with groans and boos.
Despite dominating territory, Tottenham could not translate pressure into clear-cut opportunities. In fact, Everton finished with the superior expected-goals figure, 1.26 to 0.73, largely thanks to presentable chances that fell to Brennan Johnson and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. David Moyes, whose Everton side have historically struggled at this venue, admitted afterward he was taken aback that his team had actually registered more shots on target than the hosts. Jarrad Branthwaite stood out defensively, at one point cutting out a dangerous ball intended for Sandro Tonali.
The most talked-about moment of the afternoon arrived after the final whistle, when television cameras captured De Zerbi in an animated exchange with substitute Mathys Tel, who had been introduced as an emergency striker. The manager appeared to be directing the Frenchman on positioning, and he later confirmed the nature of the conversation to reporters.
"Yes, I coach him on the pitch," De Zerbi explained. "The striker can't play with his back to the goal. He has to play like a striker, looking at the goal, or on the cross for Robertson. He has to stay inside. He started as a striker, eh, now he's playing as a winger." The coach was quick to play down any suggestion of a rift, adding: "I love Mathys as a player and a guy, there is not a problem."
Tel had been dropped to the bench following a public rebuke from De Zerbi after last weekend's fixture against Nottingham Forest, with Dominic Solanke recalled to the starting XI for the first time since April. Even the introduction of James Maddison from the bench failed to spark a breakthrough for the hosts.
Asked whether the scoring drought was beginning to weigh on his players mentally, De Zerbi acknowledged the run was far from ideal — "four games without a goal is not good" — but largely attributed the struggles to a lack of physical conditioning rather than any psychological block, pointing out he has only worked with his squad for a short period.
"I started working with this group two Thursdays ago," he said. "We have not the physical condition yet. If we extend the first part of the game, my opinion, my belief, we gonna win many games. We have to improve in the last third of the pitch, for sure."
When pressed on whether such explanations amounted to excuse-making, given other clubs cope with similar issues without the resources Tottenham have invested, De Zerbi grew visibly frustrated. "I came last season when the s*** was like this," he said, gesturing to his forehead. "I repeat, the s***. I have been positive but realistic. Now, I explain, I'm sorry for the results but today we played as a team. Today and Nottingham."
Tottenham remain some distance from Crystal Palace's Premier League record of eight consecutive scoreless games to open a season in 2017-18, but the manner of this latest stalemate has raised fresh questions about whether De Zerbi's attacking principles are translating effectively at his new club.
Based on reporting from Independent and Standard Sport.