Tottenham Hotspur's dismal form in front of goal has drawn sharp criticism after another goalless outing, this time in a 0-0 draw with Everton that leaves the club facing an unprecedented crisis in attack.
For the first time in the club's history, Spurs have gone through the opening four matches of a Premier League season without finding the net. The stalemate at home to Everton did little to ease growing frustration among supporters, even though the visitors themselves struggled to fashion clear-cut opportunities. Everton, however, managed to produce the two best chances of the match before the final whistle sounded on a largely uneventful afternoon.
The result is particularly hard to stomach given Tottenham's lavish summer spending. The club brought in ten new signings and spent more than £380million strengthening the squad, headlined by an £85million deal for Savio and a further £60million commitment for Omar Marmoush. Yet despite fielding an attacking lineup that included Savio, Marmoush, Dominic Solanke, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus, Spurs could not find a way past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, even after a bright opening spell from the home side.
Lucas Bergvall, who recently penned a new contract with the club, went closest to breaking the deadlock late in the game, but his effort was not enough to spare Tottenham further embarrassment. At full-time, both the players and manager Roberto De Zerbi were jeered by sections of the home crowd, a scene that has become increasingly familiar this season.
The reaction from pundits was equally unforgiving. Speaking on American television coverage of the match, analyst Robbie Mustoe remarked, "I've never known a team to get booed off more than Spurs."
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp went further in his assessment, questioning how a squad with such attacking talent could fail to produce a single league goal in six hours of football. "I thought Tottenham would have problems this season, but not in the goalscoring department," Redknapp said. "With players like Solanke, Marmoush, Maddison and even midfielders like Tonali, Maddison and Fernandes, you would think they would somehow be able to get a goal. To not score a Premier League goal in six hours of football is absolutely diabolical from Tottenham."
The barren run has left Tottenham languishing in 17th place with just two points from their opening four fixtures, following a similarly frustrating scoreless draw at Nottingham Forest the previous weekend. De Zerbi's side now face mounting pressure to find a solution in attack, with question marks growing over how such heavy investment in forward reinforcements has yet to translate into a single goal.
For Everton, the point extends their unbeaten start to the campaign, marking their third draw of the season. While not the most eye-catching of results, it continues a solid if unspectacular beginning under their current setup, with the Toffees appearing content to frustrate opponents and pick up points on the road.
As the international break approaches, Tottenham will be desperate to address their scoring troubles before facing the media scrutiny that another winless, goalless performance would inevitably bring. The scale of their summer outlay means expectations remain high, and the club's hierarchy will be hoping the drought ends sooner rather than later.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport (football).