Tottenham's miserable start to the Premier League season continued as they were beaten 3-2 by Aston Villa, extending their winless run to five league games and leaving manager Roberto De Zerbi visibly frustrated with his squad's mentality and conditioning.
Spurs headed into the international break with just two points from five matches, their worst start to a top-flight campaign since 2008-09 – a season that ended with Juande Ramos being sacked before Harry Redknapp steered the club to safety. It also marks the first time since 1986 that Tottenham have gone five games without a win at the start of a season.
The result continued an alarming trend: Tottenham have now failed to win any of their last 36 Premier League matches in which they conceded the opening goal. Despite dominating the early exchanges and testing Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki through Savio and Archie Gray, Spurs were unable to convert their pressure into a lead, and paid the price in first-half stoppage time when a mishit clearance from Andy Robertson fell to John McGinn. Boubacar Kamara's follow-up effort was eventually turned in by Manzambi. The goal came moments after Micky van de Ven had been forced off following a facial injury.
Tottenham briefly threatened a way back when Mohammed Kudus appeared to level just after the hour mark, only for the goal to be ruled out for a marginal offside against Robertson in the build-up. Villa struck again seven minutes later when Nicolas Jackson pounced on a long ball from Suzuki, and Emiliano Buendia's stunning 25-yard strike in the 79th minute sealed the win, with several sections of the home support already heading for the exits.
De Zerbi did not hide his displeasure afterwards. "I am very disappointed, sad and frustrated for the performance," he said. "We can't lose the game in this way, we can't concede the second goal, we can't lose balance just because we are losing."
The Italian pointed to Villa's tactical shift under Unai Emery as a factor his side failed to handle, despite specific preparation. "We knew this season Aston Villa are playing 86% more long balls than last season and we spoke in many meetings about it," he explained, drawing a comparison to a previous home defeat to Newcastle. "Now we have to explain another game like [that one], where we played the first half well, got to 60 minutes OK, and then we lose."
De Zerbi also questioned the physical sharpness of several key players, naming James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Dominic Solanke, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marcos Senesi and Savio as needing to improve their conditioning. He confirmed he chose not to address the squad after the match before they departed for international duty. "I didn't speak with the players today because I didn't want to say anything," he said. "The players who go with the national team have to play and work... we can't say everything is bad, but it is not enough."
Spurs' summer outlay of roughly £300 million – including big-money arrivals such as Mateus Fernandes, Savio and Sandro Tonali – has come under scrutiny given the team's early struggles, with critics noting the new signings have yet to justify their price tags. De Zerbi defended the transfer business, citing financial fair play constraints and a long, unpredictable market, but the pressure is mounting.
For Villa, the win offered relief after three defeats in their opening four fixtures. Emery praised his players' resilience and defensive commitment, saying they had "believed" and shown the character needed to compete before imposing their own style. With Villa's rebuild showing signs of cohesion, the contrast with Tottenham's disjointed start has only grown starker heading into the international break.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport and The Guardian.