The glaring problems Roberto De Zerbi must fix ahead of Tottenham’s crunch test at Man United, how his patience is starting to wear thin after dismal start – and why new signings are a concern after £340m rebuild

DAILYMAIL.COM • 55m ago

By MATT BARLOW 22:30 09 Oct 2026, updated 22:30 09 Oct 2026

Pressure is mounting and the team is rock bottom of the Premier League and badly misfiring, and recent evidence tells us Tottenham seldom react well to such scrutiny.

Their last trip to Manchester United turned out to be the penultimate game of Thomas Frank’s tenure.

Again, they were under pressure, sinking towards the drop zone and desperate for a win amid an injury crisis only to have captain Cristian Romero sent off inside half an hour as they slipped to a first defeat to United in nine meetings.

Spurs return to Old Trafford eight months on with reasons to believe this time can be different and that two points from the first five games need not be the precursor for another miserable season fighting for survival.

But Roberto De Zerbi really does need signs that his £340million rebuilding operation is going to come to life.

There were signs De Zerbi’s patience was starting to fray after the 3-2 defeat at home to Aston Villa on the last outing. ‘We can’t say everything is bad but it’s not enough,’ were his final words of a scathing post-match press conference.

He criticised his team collectively for failing to cope when one man down with Micky van de Ven off injured as Villa scored the first and for losing their balance and pushing too hard when Mo Kudus came on.

The sad reality of Dele Alli's football exile revealed amid streaming19.9K viewing now Mateus Fernandes has yet to show his talents after his £85million moveThe Spurs boss demanded more from Mateus Fernandes, an £85million signing from West Ham who was replaced at half-time and spent the international break with Portugal’s Under 21s.

Also from Dominic Solanke, who he said was low on both his physical condition and confidence.

The limited impact of new signings will concern De Zerbi. Aside from Jan-Paul van Hecke who stepped in ably as Romero’s replacement, none have hit the ground running.

Van Hecke was back early from Netherlands duty with a cut requiring stitches to the top of a foot. Spurs expect him to be available for Old Trafford if the wound has healed.

Sandro Tonali has taken much of the flak at Spurs because more was expected for the record £100m fee. ‘Football is very strange,’ he said while on duty with Italy. ‘In 10 days everything can change from negative to positive.

‘On Tottenham, the moment is negative for results but positive for the football we are playing.’

Italy brought Tonali some degree of comfort. He started the first three of four Nations League games under returning boss Roberto Mancini and came on in the other.

He struggled in the defeat against Belgium when United’s Youri Tielemans controlled midfield. The Italian media put down to the difficulties of 20-year-old Alessandro Romano of Cagliari on debut and Tonali was more influential against Turkey and France.

Amid the disappointing start for Spurs, old criticisms have resurfaced, including the absence of personality in the dressing room.

‘They’re void of leaders and characters,’ claimed former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood on Sky Sports as he discussed the fact they had not come back from behind to win in the Premier League for almost two years.

It is a valid point, and the one De Zerbi alluded to when the Villa goal scored with captain Van de Ven off the pitch.

Vice-captain Pedro Porro had gone off injured. Two more of his captains Ben Davies and James Maddison were not on the pitch.

Archie Gray, 20 years old and fifth in the captaincy ranks, had replaced Porro although there was no shortage of experience with seasoned internationals Rodrigo Bentancur, Van Hecke, Tonali and Andy Robertson all on the pitch to organise and instruct.

De Zerbi often tells stresses how much his players care with a hint they maybe care too much because they became highly emotional during last season’s relegation fight.

As if he might prefer it if some were colder and more calculating.

Conor Gallagher and Kudus ended the wait for Premier League goals but they have been scarce and there have been echoes this season of Frank’s early problems.

Frank tightened Spurs at the back lost creativity and when he tried to open-up and play with more freedom and flair found his team became alarmingly vulnerable at the back.

De Zerbi’s Spurs have been the same. After goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton, his team were 3-0 down at home to Villa before producing a late kick.

Omar Marmoush, who is yet to score since his loan which will convert into a £60m transfer from Manchester City, found the net twice for Egypt against South Sudan. It might be good for his confidence but is not the standard of the Premier League.

Mathys Tel, not even among the substitutes against Villa, scored five in four appearances with France Under-21s, including a hat trick against Switzerland. Again, not quite the same.

Savio and Kudus are quick off the mark in tight areas, but Spurs have not quite replaced the direct threat of Heung-min Son’s destructive pace up front.

So many Premier League teams are electric on the break. Not so Spurs. Perhaps it is where Mykhailo Mudryk came into the equation, but the Ukraine winger on loan from Chelsea is still out with the ankle injury he picked up in training, days after his debut.

Thirteen, including two ‘keepers, were away on international duty. For those who remained, everyone had the first week off before returning to the training centre and ending the second week with an internal game against a team made up of players from the U21s and U18s.

It was an important time for those returning from injuries and those whose pre-season schedules were interrupted to work on fitness.

De Zerbi needs Maddison, Kudus and Solanke up to speed to boost his attacking options. Dejan Kulusevski’s progress is encouraging, although after nearly 18 months out it is best if nobody relies on him to save the season.

If De Zerbi fails to beat United he will be the first Spurs boss who failed to win any of the first six league games since Juande Ramos in 2008.

Under Ramos they took two points from the first five and he was sacked when they lost the next three as well. Harry Redknapp was appointed and they finished the season in eighth.

There is no sign Spurs are getting twitchy about De Zerbi. After his rescue act at the end of last season and the recruitment drive in the summer there is a will to give him time.

The next five fixtures, however, seem vital to the idea of turning this around. There are three daunting away games at United, Chelsea and Leeds and home games against Coventry and Crystal Palace, which would seem very winnable if Spurs did not have such wretched home form.

Roberto de Zerbi has asked his Tottenham players to draw inspiration from Dejan Kulusevski’s return from a serious knee injury.

Kulusevski, 26, will travel with the Spurs squad to Manchester United, in what will be a significant step in his recovery even if he is not named on the team-sheet.

‘He is an inspiration,’ said Spurs boss De Zerbi. ‘He has reacted very well, with character, with courage, with passion. It’s a good word, passion.

‘We have to take inspiration from Deki and I said the same in the meeting to the players. He is an example for everyone. Forget the player, but how he reacted to the injury, the reaction to being unlucky, the character he showed in this time is an example for everyone.’

It has been a long road back for Kulusevski who injured a kneecap in May 2025. There were fears he might not make a full recovery, but he fought back and got through his first training game during the international break.

‘I suffered many times from long injuries,’ said De Zerbi. ‘They’re bad because you lose football, but you come inside yourself and know yourself better. You start to communicate better with yourself. You find motivation, fix the target, fix the goal. You become stronger.

‘If you react in the right way to the injury, like if you react in the right way to this situation of our club, the table, this season, last season, two seasons ago, you become better as a player, you become stronger as a player and as a man.’

Spurs have suffered during Kulusevski’s absence. They escaped relegation on the final day of last season and are now bottom of the Premier League after two points from the first five games of the new campaign despite spending £340million in the summer market.

‘It’s possible, why not?’ replied De Zerbi when asked if Spurs could emulate Aston Villa, who finished fourth last season despite winning none of their first five games.

‘But to do what Villa did, we have to click. The first win is not a gift from God. You have to deserve to win and we didn’t deserve to win so far.’

De Zerbi revealed James Maddison suffered an injury setback in training last week which will not rule him out of the game at Old Trafford but will prevent him from starting.

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