Tottenham has spent heavily to strengthen the force, but old problems have not been solved, especially the instability and connectivity between the lines.
The Spurs" are having an worrying start to the season under Roberto De Zerbi. The defeat to Newcastle continues to expose long-standing weaknesses, even though the north London team has just gone through a transfer window with large investments.
Spurs seem to always live in a state of instability. They may panic when conceding goals, but are also prone to losing control when owning the ball. This problem does not disappear just because they change coaches, leadership apparatus or spend more than 300 million pounds in the transfer market.
The defeat to Newcastle is a typical example. Tottenham let Anthony Elanga put the away team ahead after a series of seemingly small mistakes. Nico Gonzalez had too much time to make long passes, Amar Dedic missed a header and Elanga took advantage of the space to finish. There were no serious mistakes, but many consecutive indecisive situations caused Tottenham to pay the price.
That is the biggest problem of Spurs at this time. Inaccurate handling, hesitant situations, hasty shots or insufficiently fierce tackles are making Tottenham an unstable team.
Newcastle, although only having one clean sheet in the last 18 matches, knows how to exploit those weaknesses. Matthias Jaissle's team plays fiercely in aerial balls, tackles and patiently waits for opportunities. Tottenham has many technically gifted players but cannot create the necessary cohesion to control the match.
Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Omar Marmoush all had outstanding moments. Marmoush especially impressed in his debut match with his movement and sharp handling ability. However, Tottenham's problem is not in an individual.
What is worrying is that players who have experienced the injury crisis last season seem not to have completely escaped the psychological and physical effects. Archie Gray, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie or Rodrigo Bentancur sometimes still show caution in tackles.
Opponents have also realized that. The formula to cause difficulties for Tottenham is quite simple: play decisively, limit unnecessary mistakes and force Spurs to play at their pace.
De Zerbi will have to find a way to solve this problem in the near future. Tottenham possesses many players capable of creating breakthroughs. Marmoush and Savio bring more speed, midfield is added, Mohammed Kudus and Dominic Solanke return, while James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Xavi Simons can still make a difference.
Even a center-back who was once a World Cup runner-up like Marcos Senesi has to sit on the bench. With such a force, Tottenham has little reason to worry about the relegation battle.
But buying new players is only a simple part. The real challenge lies in turning quality individuals into a team with structure, bravery and stability. Tottenham has changed a lot in personnel, but what they need most at this time is still to find their identity and cohesion.
