Tottenham slump continues as De Zerbi calls them “too fragile”

Tottenham’s misery in the Premier League shows no sign of ending. According to BBC Sport, Roberto De Zerbi’s side are no closer to fixing their issues after suffering another home defeat, 3-2, against Aston Villa—leaving them stuck in the lower part of the table.

Another injury, another setback

The pattern felt familiar: the closer Spurs got to scoring, the more likely they seemed to concede. Villa took the lead with a scrappy finish from Johan Manzambi, during a spell when Tottenham were briefly down to 10 men because Micky van de Ven needed treatment. De Zerbi’s night got worse when van de Ven’s blow forced him off.

Villa then pulled away. Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia made it 3-0, and although Spurs fought back late through Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke, it wasn’t enough. De Zerbi made it clear where the damage is being done: conceding first and failing to keep the right defensive structure once the game turns.

De Zerbi: the first goal problem

After the defeat, De Zerbi said his focus is understanding why Tottenham concede the opening goal when they are down to 10 players, and added that the team can remain stronger by communicating better and defending in a compact way. He also explained tactical changes, including moving Rodrigo Bentancur into a centre-back role and putting Mateus Fernandes in midfield.

BBC Sport highlights the worrying trend too: Spurs have not won any of their last 36 Premier League matches where they concede first. With the season’s first league win still missing, Tottenham now head into a three-week international break.

A start not seen for years

Their early record is the worst since 2008-09, when Spurs also had only two points after five games. They have also gone five league matches without a win at the start of a season for the first time since 1986. Former Brighton striker Glenn Murray urged patience on BBC’s Final Score, arguing De Zerbi is building something and that the stats suggest improvement even if results haven’t caught up yet.