Tottenham is facing a serious problem in attack under Roberto De Zerbi. After a 0-0 draw with Everton, Spurs have gone 4 consecutive matches without scoring since the beginning of the season, for the first time in Premier League history.
This is more worrying than the increasingly declining streak of results. Tottenham once started the match against Everton quite well, controlling the ball and putting strong pressure on the away team's defense. Spurs created some situations that made Everton confused, but could not convert them into goals. When the first 20 minutes passed and Tottenham still could not score, the deadlock seemed to begin to shift from a tactical issue to a psychological one.
Tottenham played more and more indecisively. Safe passes to the back appeared frequently, while the players did not dare to take risks to create breakthroughs. This is especially surprising when De Zerbi is known for his football philosophy that values ball control, attack organization and risk-taking.
The inaccuracy in basic handling makes the problem even clearer. Brennan Johnson once made a short pass that could not find teammates, before Savio continued to pass poorly to Archie Gray. Such moments reflect the tension that is appearing in Tottenham's operation.
De Zerbi also could not hide his frustration outside the touchline. He even had to directly guide Mathys Tel on how to move a striker. The Italian coach asked Tel to face the goal, instead of often turning his back on the opponent. However, De Zerbi affirmed that he still supports this player.
The Spurs" have the right to regret, but they are also lucky not to suffer defeat. Although controlling the ball better than Everton, Spurs did not create many really dangerous opportunities. Everton's expected goal difference (xG) reached 1.26, almost double that of Tottenham with 0.73. The away team even had more shots on target, which made David Moyes admit he was quite surprised.
De Zerbi admitted that lack of confidence may be affecting the team, but he believes that the main reason is still physical fitness. The Italian strategist said that he has only worked with this group of players for a short time and rarely has a completely healthy squad to train together.
I just started working with this group of players two weeks ago, so the team's fitness has not yet met the requirements. In my opinion, if they can maintain the game like in the first half, Tottenham will win in many matches" - De Zerbi said.
However, he also said that Tottenham needs to strongly improve in the last 1/3 of the field. 4 consecutive matches without scoring is clearly not a statistic that can be underestimated, especially for a team that has spent a lot of money to change its appearance.
Spurs are still far from Crystal Palace's record, who did not score in the first 7 matches of the 2017-2018 Premier League season. But if the attack continues to be silent, pressure on De Zerbi will certainly increase. He needs more time to connect new factors. However, every match that Tottenham cannot score, that time fund is narrowed.
