What is Wrong With Tottenham?

Ahead of a Premier League campaign, teams are fuelled by the belief they can achieve special things. Try telling that to Tottenham! After just a handful of games, the North London outfit are desperately trying to reach for the reset button.

They have floundered in games, and at the moment, there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Can Tottenham flip their fortunes around? We’ve taken a closer look at the underlying reasons behind their dreadful start.

After a woeful campaign in 2025/26 where they clambered to safety, finishing just two points above the drop zone, it was evident that a summer overhaul was needed.

In the past, Tottenham were guilty of being too tentative in the market, but during the previous window, they were happy to splash the cash. The club broke the bank to secure the services of Mateus Fernandes (£85 million), while a club-record £100m was lavished on Sandro Tonali.

Interestingly, Tottenham’s total spend eclipsed the £330m mark (£313m) to be more precise, with only Chelsea (£342.4m) and Manchester City (£440.3m) laying out more on transfer fees.

Tottenham also tapped into the free agent market to snap up Andy Robertson from Liverpool, but bedding all these changes has proved problematic. Tottenham are clearly in a transition phase, and while a few years ago, they would have perceived themselves to be a top-six side, they couldn’t be further from their vision.

An aggressive press was a hallmark of De Zerbi’s blueprint last season, and it seemed to work wonders. His sides have generally enticed opponents to apply pressure, often through deliberately slowing down play.

However, an early feature of this season’s play has been to build things up centrally, but some things haven’t aligned. Players have been uncomfortable receiving the ball in particular positions, leading to quick changeovers from opposing teams.

Internalising De Zerbi’s unconventional methods may seem alien to his players, who are trying to adapt to new habits. For example, under Thomas Frank, Tottenham initiated attacks down the flanks, leaving the central spaces open. 

After the 3-0 defeat against Brentford, De Zerbi conceded his side weren’t a team, and things don’t magically click; it takes hours of practice on the training pitch. That said, Tottenham’s players need to gel more, especially during transitional phases.

Clearly, small details across the final third have been missed and they need to be refined. Across their first four games of the league campaign, Tottenham haven’t scored, equating to more than 360 minutes plus stoppage time.

It’s the first time since September 2026 that De Zerbi’s charges have gone four successive games without scoring in England’s top-flight. Only Crystal Palace in 2017/18 (seven games) endured a longer barren streak in front of goal.

Anyway, Tottenham have been a blunt instrument. With Richarlison frozen out from De Zerbi’s plans and Mathys Tel short on confidence, performances have petered out. Against Everton, for example, only two of their 14 shots were on target, equating to an expected goals (xG) rate of 0.64.

Only Aston Villa (3.37), at the time of writing, have a smaller xG rate than Tottenham (3.42), which is concerning if you are of a Tottenham persuasion. It’s not necessarily for lack of trying, but arguably their predictable patterns of play have contributed to their own downfall.

In our Premier League predictions, Tottenham weren’t deemed a prime relegation candidate. However, after some very close shaves over the past couple of seasons, the adage that ‘you are never too good to go down’ springs to mind.

Interestingly, a quick peek at the relegation outrights suggests a marginal shift in price. At leading crypto betting operators, such as Betpanda.io, Tottenham’s odds have fallen to 14.00 from 15.00, indicating that they have plenty of work to do to avoid the dreaded drop.

It has been a chastening start to the campaign for Tottenham, and there have been a combination of factors that have contributed to the unease around the club. A lack of confidence, trying to bed in a raft of new signings, fitness issues, and adjusting to De Zerbi’s demands haven’t translated into results on the pitch.

It’s worth keeping an eye on developments at the top football betting operators as Tottenham try to get things back on track and rectify their early-season woes.