Tottenham Back Roberto De Zerbi Despite Dire Start as Spurs Hit 18-Year Low

Tottenham Hotspur have reached a firm internal decision on Roberto De Zerbi, and for now there is no appetite to make a change. According to TeamTalk, Spurs remain convinced that the Italian is the right coach to lead the club through a deeply troubling opening to the new Premier League season.

The backdrop is grim. Tottenham sit bottom of the table after five league matches, a position they have not occupied at this stage of a campaign since 2008/09. That statistic alone tells its own story. The pressure around the club has intensified sharply after the home defeat to Aston Villa, and the wider mood is one of anxiety, frustration and disbelief.

Yet the message from inside the club is clear. There is no managerial search under way, no contingency being advanced and no indication that the international break will be used to make a swift change. Tottenham’s hierarchy are standing by De Zerbi.

Roberto De Zerbi Keeps Tottenham Backing

The key theme emerging from this report is conviction. Even with results running badly and scrutiny rising, senior figures at Spurs are said to believe the bigger picture still matters. De Zerbi has taken charge of only 14 matches and, internally, there is an acceptance that the task he inherited was always substantial.

One source put it in emphatic terms, saying: “There is nobody better than Roberto to turn this around; this was never an easy fix, despite the summer outlay. He is very much still the man for Tottenham.”

That line matters, because it underlines how the club are framing the current situation. This is being viewed less as a failure of coaching and more as a difficult phase in a longer rebuild. Tottenham spent heavily in the summer after narrowly avoiding major trouble last season, but investment alone does not guarantee instant fluency, cohesion or resilience.

Four wins from 14 matches, and a win percentage of 28.57 per cent, are numbers that naturally invite concern. In isolation, they are poor. In context, Tottenham appear to believe they are part of a broader process that still requires patience. Whether supporters accept that is another matter entirely.

Premier League Pressure Growing After Aston Villa Defeat

The Aston Villa result has sharpened everything. A poor start can be absorbed if the underlying signs are promising, but landing at the foot of the Premier League after five games changes the tone dramatically. It creates doubt externally, noise in the media and unease among supporters.

Still, the report suggests Tottenham’s leadership are resisting a reactionary response. There is recognition that the squad underwent significant change in the summer and that time on the training pitch remains essential. The three-week international break is now being treated as an opportunity for De Zerbi to work on the weaknesses that have already become impossible to ignore.

Importantly, the frustration is not one-way. TEAMtalk report that De Zerbi is unhappy with the level being produced by his players, and that frustration is shared by the hierarchy. In other words, there is alignment between coach and club over where the problem lies.

That does not remove pressure from the head coach, but it does help explain why Tottenham are not moving against him. Internally, the view is that the squad are not performing anywhere near expectations and that the coach remains the figure best placed to correct that.

De Zerbi’s own verdict after the Villa defeat was strikingly candid. “In my career, 14 years as a coach, I’ve never seen one team like us. So fragile, so inconsistent,” De Zerbi said.

Those words will resonate well beyond the dressing room. They were blunt, emotional and revealing. They also offered a rare glimpse into how alarmed the manager is by what he is seeing.

Spurs Project Hinges on Squad Response

What Tottenham do next matters almost as much as the results themselves. Their stance indicates they still view this as a project, not a short-term appointment drifting towards an inevitable end. De Zerbi arrived late last season, helped Spurs move away from relegation danger and was then backed in the transfer market with the expectation of building something more stable.

That previous context is significant. Clubs do not usually authorise major recruitment for a head coach they are preparing to abandon at the first sign of difficulty. If anything, the current position suggests Tottenham feel the squad must take greater responsibility.

The report points repeatedly to that internal belief. The players, rather than the manager, are seen as the central issue at present. There is also a clear acknowledgement that however much was spent, this “was never an easy fix, despite the summer outlay.”

For Tottenham, then, the calculation is straightforward. Changing the coach now would mean walking away from a plan after 14 matches, during a period in which the club expected turbulence. Keeping faith carries risk too, particularly if results do not improve quickly once domestic football resumes.

That is the tension at the heart of this story. Spurs are trying to hold their nerve while sitting bottom of the Premier League. It is a bold position, and one that will either look measured in hindsight or badly misplaced if the slide continues.

Our View

As a frustrated Tottenham supporter, this all sounds painfully familiar. We are told to trust the process, trust the project and trust that the people in charge know exactly where this is going. Meanwhile, we are bottom of the league after five games and being asked to accept that this is all part of the plan. It is hard to swallow.

Yes, Roberto De Zerbi has only had 14 matches. Yes, big squad changes take time. But fans are not blind. We can see a side that looks disjointed, mentally weak and alarmingly easy to play against. When the manager himself says, “In my career, 14 years as a coach, I’ve never seen one team like us. So fragile, so inconsistent,” that is not a small warning sign. That is the manager publicly admitting the team are miles off it.

The line “There is nobody better than Roberto to turn this around” sounds strong, but supporters will want proof on the pitch, not reassurance behind the scenes. Spurs have spent heavily and still look lost. If the players are underperforming, then fine, drop them, change the shape, make big calls. Do something.

Backing the manager is sensible if there is a clear idea. What fans cannot accept is drift. Bottom after five matches is embarrassing for Tottenham, and patience will disappear quickly unless there is a sharp response after the break.

Source: TeamTalk