After narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League last season, and spending a massive £320million on exciting reinforcements, many expected Tottenham to hit the ground running this time around.
Instead, after dire defeats to Brentford and Newcastle, another chastening campaign potentially lies in store.
This was meant to be a new Tottenham. They have reinforced their defence with deals for Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke. Their midfield has been bolstered with the seismic arrivals of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. Savio and Omar Marmoush have touched down in north London, with Iliman Ndiaye poised to follow, to bring more stardust to their stuttering attack.
Yet for all the money spent, Tottenham remain a club in crisis.
They were abysmal last weekend against Brentford, with the Bees running riot in a 3-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium. Tonali and Fernandes, making their competitive debuts, were run ragged as the Bees inflicted one almighty sting.
Against Newcastle on Saturday, they started well, only to falter once again. Anthony Elanga fired the Magpies ahead with a sensational strike, with Yoanne Wissa then doubling their lead to wrap up all three points.
The new arrivals were meant to lift the mood. But just two games into the new campaign, and Tottenham already fear another relegation scrap. Fans around the club are worried and alarmed that after two survivals, it might be a case of third time unlucky.
Roberto De Zerbi has struggled to get the best from his Tottenham players since his arrival in March
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Tottenham were poor on Saturday as Newcastle stunned them into silence
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Which brings us to Roberto De Zerbi, the man in the dugout. Is he really the man to steer this ship to clearer waters? It’s an uncomfortable conversation that, to this point, hasn’t really been asked.
De Zerbi arrived back in March after Igor Tudor was forced to step aside. His job was to keep Tottenham in the Premier League. The mission was accomplished unconvincingly, but achieved nonetheless.
But based on his tenure so far, his lofty reputation appears to precede him. For a man whose stock was once so high he was even tipped to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the Italian represents a curious case.
Roberto De Zerbi worked wonders at Brighton but has struggled since then
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PADe Zerbi has won two trophies as a manager. The first was in 2016 when he steered Italian side Foggia to the Coppa Italia Serie C trophy. In 2021, he masterminded Shakhtar Donetsk’s Ukrainian Super Cup triumph.
His name was really made at Brighton. In the 2022/23 season, he guided the Seagulls to the Europa League with a sixth-placed finish before they fell to eighth the following year.
De Zerbi left for Marseille with the Ligue 1 titans confident he was capable of toppling Paris Saint-Germain at the summit of French football. Ultimately, however, he endured 18 mixed months in the country before mutually agreeing to depart.
The first year at Marseille saw the club finish second, scoring an impressive 74 goals. This returned them to the Champions League, with Mason Greenwood particularly standing out. Highlights included 5-1 and 5-0 hammerings of Brest and Montpellier respectively.
But his second year in France was far more turbulent. The 47-year-old couldn’t get his team firing in Europe and, with PSG blowing teams away, they lost more ground on their fierce rivals. In the end, in February this year, enough was enough. A 5-0 defeat to PSG marked the end of his tenure, with all parties feeling a change was mutually beneficial.
At Tottenham, his reign has been plagued by inconsistency.
Tottenham are a club in crisis after just two Premier League games
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He deserves credit for keeping them up but, from nine Premier League matches, there have been just three victories. When you look at those wins, without wanting to discredit them, it does little to silence his critics.
They scraped a crucial win over Wolves in late April, with Joao Palhinha scoring the only goal of the game against a team that had already been relegated days before.
They then produced the best performance of the De Zerbi era against Aston Villa, stunning Unai Emery’s side 2-1 at Villa Park. Their opponents did, however, rotate with Europe in mind. Even now, months on, many fans ask the question: If Villa weren’t gunning for Europa League glory, could things have been different?
Their third, and to this date final, win under De Zerbi came on the final day of the season. Palhinha, once again, was the matchwinner. Everton had nothing to play for, though, with their season already done. Tottenham, playing in front of their own fans, produced the goods to consign West Ham to life in the Championship.
Fast-forward to now, and darkness is once again starting to cover the white half of north London. They already sit below their rivals at the bottom of the table. With tough tests against Nottingham Forest, Everton and Aston Villa to come before the international break, there’s a sense things could yet get even worse.
De Zerbi was meant to be the man to turn Tottenham around. Instead, despite their lavish spending, they continue to go backwards. Whether he’s really the right man for the job remains to be seen.
