Roberto De Zerbi's first full season in charge of Tottenham Hotspur has begun in alarming fashion, with the north London club yet to register either a goal or a victory after four Premier League matches, despite a summer outlay reportedly exceeding £300 million.
The Italian coach, who arrived in England with a reputation for bold, possession-based football built during his time at Brighton, guided Spurs to safety on the final day of last season. That achievement bought him goodwill, but with pre-season promises of a fresh start yet to materialize on the pitch, patience among supporters is beginning to wear thin.
At Brighton, De Zerbi's methods produced some of the most eye-catching football English audiences had seen in years — a system built on drawing opponents forward before exploiting space with rapid, incisive attacks. That approach helped the Seagulls reach the Europa League, though his tenure ended amid disagreements with the club's hierarchy over transfer strategy. A subsequent move to Marseille proved short-lived, with the instability at the French club ultimately proving too much even for a coach known for his conviction.
His switch to Tottenham was seen as a chance to test his ideas over a longer period in a more stable environment, but the early signs of his project have been mixed. Spurs' campaign started poorly with a heavy defeat at Brentford, and while performances have shown gradual improvement since then, results have not followed.
Sunday's goalless draw with Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium offered some evidence of progress, even if it did little to ease mounting scrutiny. The Toffees created the better opportunities to snatch a rare away win, but Spurs looked more solid defensively, with Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke developing a more settled partnership at the back.
In midfield, there were also signs of greater cohesion. Rodrigo Bentancur brought stability at the base of the team, while Sandro Tonali showed flashes of quality on the ball, hinting at the kind of control De Zerbi wants his side to exert going forward.
Still, small tactical gains are unlikely to satisfy a fanbase growing restless after a summer of heavy investment yielded no tangible improvement in results. De Zerbi has repeatedly pointed to a disrupted pre-season as a reason for his side's sluggish start, arguing that his players were not physically prepared to execute his demanding style from the opening weeks of the campaign. That explanation, however, is wearing thin the longer Spurs go without finding the back of the net.
The pressure on De Zerbi is unlikely to ease soon. Tottenham face a testing run before the November international break, starting with a League Cup trip to Liverpool before a Premier League clash at home against fellow strugglers Aston Villa on Saturday. Both fixtures represent opportunities for De Zerbi to secure a first win of the season and silence, even briefly, the growing doubts over his methods and his future at the club.
With Spurs entering a three-week hiatus for international fixtures after the weekend, the Italian will be acutely aware that going into that break without a win — or a goal — would leave plenty of time for speculation and criticism to intensify. For a manager who built his reputation on conviction and long-term vision, the next week could prove pivotal in determining how much faith the club and its supporters retain in his project.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.