Tottenham's Struggles Continue as Villa Pile Pressure on De Zerbi

Tottenham head into the international break stuck in the relegation zone and stuck in a loop. Another defeat, another familiar pattern, another fortnight of noise around Roberto De Zerbi’s future.

A 3-2 loss to Aston Villa on Saturday leaves Spurs still searching for their first Premier League win of the season. Defeats to Villa, Brentford and Newcastle United, plus draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton, have them rooted in trouble despite a transfer outlay north of £300m designed specifically to avoid this scenario after back-to-back 17th-place finishes.

The money has changed. The story hasn’t.

Bright start, brutal punch

For half an hour at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it looked different. Spurs pressed high, snapped into challenges, and dictated the tempo. They forced Villa back, worked shooting opportunities, and at least made Emiliano Martínez earn his evening.

Danny Murphy, watching on for the BBC, saw a side that didn’t resemble a relegation rabble.

“In the first half-hour they [Spurs] showed good intensity, controlled the tempo of the game and created a few chances – not great chances but shots that forced the keeper into a couple of good saves,” the former Tottenham midfielder said.

Then the old script returned.

Tottenham allowed Villa to settle, allowed them to keep the ball, allowed belief to creep into Unai Emery’s side. The momentum shifted, slowly at first, then decisively.

Murphy pointed to the turning point: the injury to Micky van de Ven and the goal that followed.

“And then, as has happened in weeks previous, they’ve let the opposition grow into the game and gain confidence. Then to concede when they’re down to 10-men with Van de Van off injured is a big blow to them and makes the second half very difficult.”

In the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, Villa landed the punch. Johan Manzambi struck to give the visitors the lead just as Spurs were trying to reshuffle with a man temporarily off the pitch. One lapse, one goal, one stadium deflated.

Villa ruthless, Spurs punished

The pressure finally told after the break. Villa, now in control, extended their advantage through Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia, punishing Tottenham’s looseness in both boxes.

Spurs did at least respond. Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke pulled two late goals back to give the scoreline a hint of respectability, but not enough to alter the mood. Another game where the performance had its moments, another game where the key moments went against them.

“They didn’t really look like a team struggling for confidence, they won the ball back a lot high up and there was a lot to like,” Murphy added. “But ultimately if you can’t score when you’re on top in games in the Premier League you get punished.”

That last line could be stapled to Tottenham’s season so far.

De Zerbi’s tone under the microscope

The league table is one problem. De Zerbi’s demeanour is becoming another.

Kevin Nolan, the former Premier League midfielder, believes the Italian is on a collision course if his public comments don’t change.

“I am really worried about Tottenham,” Nolan said on BBC 5 Live’s preview of the game. “Every week Roberto de Zerbi has a different excuse. He doesn’t stay around much at clubs and falls out with a lot of his owners. He’s probably thinking: ‘Do I need this?’.”

Nolan contrasted the current De Zerbi with the one who arrived in north London brimming with energy.

“He is not inspiring me as he was at the back end of last season in his interviews when he was very jolly and very positive about what he had to do.

“Everything is downbeat and it doesn’t feel right when you’re watching him in a press conference. Laying the blame on players and staff…it doesn’t go anywhere other than the wrong way.”

In a dressing room already carrying the weight of the table, that kind of public scrutiny from the manager can either jolt or fracture. Right now, the outside perception leans towards the latter.

McKenna in the stands, eyebrows raised

All of this played out against a curious backdrop. Last week, Kieran McKenna – out of work after leaving Ipswich Town – was spotted in the stands for Spurs’ home draw with Everton. He wasn’t alone; he was with his wife.

One of the game’s financial voices, former Manchester City adviser Stefan Borson, found the optics hard to ignore.

“We’re looking at £10m to bring somebody new in. Those are the sort of broad-brush numbers that we’re working to in the Premier League,” Borson told Football Insider, outlining the kind of cost Spurs would face if they did decide to change head coach.

“Obviously, if you get a manager that’s out of work… It was interesting and a bit weird, to be honest, to see Kieran McKenna in the crowd at the home game against Everton.

“He was in the crowd with his wife. It was a bit strange, really, that on a Saturday night, he would take his wife to watch Everton.

“I don’t know if there’s something behind that. It all looks a bit too obvious it’s all a bit strange. Maybe he was watching Everton.”

Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn’t. In calmer times, an out-of-work coach at a Premier League ground barely registers. In this climate, every camera shot of a potential successor feels loaded.

Tottenham now have two weeks to breathe, to decide whether this is a storm to ride out with De Zerbi or the moment to pull a very expensive trigger. How many more wrong turns can they afford?