Tottenham Hotspur head to Anfield on Tuesday night carrying an unwanted record: 15 years without a win at Liverpool's home ground. Manager Roberto De Zerbi is hoping a change in mentality, rather than personnel, can finally break that streak.
Spurs' last visit to Anfield produced a memorable moment when Richarlison scored a stoppage-time equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw under then-interim boss Igor Tudor, at a time when the club were struggling near the relegation zone. Circumstances have shifted considerably since then, with Tottenham having spent more than £300million on new signings over the summer. Yet the current squad finds itself grappling with a different problem: an alarming inability to find the net.
De Zerbi's side have gone back-to-back Premier League matches without scoring, drawing 0-0 in both, and have managed just one win from their last five outings across all competitions. Notably, they have failed to register a single league goal in that stretch. The Italian coach, however, insists the underlying performances do not reflect the barren scoreline.
"No, I'm sorry, but we have the qualities enough to score goals, and we had on Saturday the chance, the situation good enough to score. Sometimes we didn't shoot. We didn't make the best decision. Maybe we played with a rush," De Zerbi told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
He added: "We didn't take the best decision. But the quality of the players is clear for me, and my responsibility is to work better, to analyse the details when we made mistakes and to improve."
That hesitancy in front of goal has been a recurring theme. Against Everton, both Mateus Fernandes and Savio appeared unable to commit to shooting chances that presented themselves, echoing similar moments of indecision from Pedro Porro in the fixture against Newcastle and from Omar Marmoush during the match with Nottingham Forest.
Richarlison, so pivotal on Tottenham's previous trip to Anfield, will not be part of the squad this time. De Zerbi has signaled there is no route back into his plans for the Brazilian forward, who was unable to arrange a departure from the club during the transfer window.
The manager's attacking options remain limited elsewhere. Dominic Solanke has not reached full fitness, while Marmoush is still adjusting to a more central attacking role after moving from Manchester City, where he operated in a more supportive capacity. Despite these constraints, De Zerbi expressed optimism that Mohammed Kudus, who can play centrally or out wide, is now ready to return to the starting lineup roughly eight months removed from a significant quad injury.
In an effort to ease the mounting pressure on his players, De Zerbi organized a team dinner last week, part of a broader push to encourage his squad to make composed, unhurried decisions rather than rushing chances out of anxiety. The Tottenham boss has repeatedly emphasized that the club is in the early stages of a significant rebuilding process and that patience will be required from all sides.
De Zerbi has also pointed to disruptions during pre-season as a contributing factor to his team's sluggish start, suggesting his squad remains behind physically nearly a month into the campaign. Still, he has been careful not to lean on that as a justification for recent results, maintaining belief that Tottenham are moving in the right direction.
A victory at Anfield, a rare feat for Spurs in recent history, would offer tangible proof that De Zerbi's convictions are well-founded and could provide much-needed momentum as Tottenham look to turn their season around.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport (standard-football).