Roberto De Zerbi has expressed deep disappointment after Tottenham suffered a 3–2 home defeat to Aston Villa, leaving Spurs without a Premier League victory after their opening five matches.
The Tottenham boss admitted he was “very disappointed, very sad, very frustrated” with the performance and said his team could not afford to lose the match in the manner they did.
De Zerbi’s biggest frustration centred on Tottenham’s defending. Villa took the lead in first-half stoppage time while Spurs were temporarily down to 10 men because Micky van de Ven was receiving treatment. De Zerbi said his players needed to communicate better and remain compact in that situation.
He was even more critical of Villa’s second goal. Nicolas Jackson doubled Villa’s advantage in the 67th minute after Tottenham failed to deal with a long ball from goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. De Zerbi revealed that Spurs had specifically prepared for Villa’s increased use of long balls before the match.
The manager also admitted that Mateus Fernandes did not perform at the level he expected, although he stressed that his comments were not a personal attack and that he still has confidence in the midfielder.
Tottenham eventually scored twice through Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke, but those goals came too late to rescue the match. Villa had already gone 3–0 ahead through Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendía.
De Zerbi also took responsibility for the situation, while insisting that his players must show greater leadership, discipline and balance during difficult moments.
The defeat leaves Spurs with just two points from five league matches, increasing the pressure on De Zerbi and his expensively rebuilt squad going into the international break.
