Tottenham's Disappointing Start: Two Losses and No Goals

Tottenham’s bruising start to the season took another sharp turn in North London as Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa struck to hand the visitors a clinical, composed win and leave Spurs staring at an unwelcome slice of history.

Two games, two defeats, no goals. For the first time since the 1974-75 campaign, Tottenham have opened a league season by losing their first two matches without scoring. Fifty-two years wiped away in one grim statistic.

De Zerbi rails at “unfair” scoreline

Roberto De Zerbi did not hide his frustration. The result, he insisted, told only half the story.

“Disappointed for the result because until the first goal we conceded I think we played better than Newcastle,” he told BBC Sport, adamant that his side had controlled large parts of the contest before being punished.

The Italian pointed straight at his team’s structure without the ball.

“We lost ball possession in the first half because we didn't defend in the right way, the distance between the defenders and attackers was too big,” he said. “We can improve in the defensive phases but today was an unfair result.”

Tottenham saw plenty of the ball, probed, and pushed, but ran into a disciplined Magpies backline that refused to crack. Possession never quite turned into conviction. Territory never quite became threat.

Wasteful in the final third

For De Zerbi, the real irritation lay in what happened – or rather what didn’t – once Spurs reached the business end of the pitch.

“At the beginning of the second half we had some chance to create the potential chances,” he explained. It was a telling phrase: promising positions, but not enough clear, clean openings.

“We created many chances to score, we have to improve the last decision, because that will make a difference,” he added, underlining the lack of composure and clarity around the box that has haunted their opening fortnight.

His message to the dressing room was blunt. The ideas are there; the execution is not.

“At the end we are disappointed for the result and our fans. We are working to be a great team. When we become a team I think we can change the story of the last two seasons for Tottenham. We are working to be good on the pitch, if you believe in work and training then you have to improve day by day.”

Big spend, slow start

The frustration in the stands is growing. Spurs came into this season determined to leave behind the trauma of last year’s final-day escape from relegation, arming their new manager with over £350 million in summer signings and a mandate to reset the club’s identity.

On paper, it looked bold. On the pitch so far, it has been brutal.

A 3-0 dismantling at Brentford on opening day. Now another flat defeat, this time at home, where Elanga and Wissa’s goals exposed a side still searching for cohesion at both ends of the pitch.

The investment has raised expectations. The performances have raised questions.

“There is no panic”

De Zerbi, though, cut a defiant figure when he spoke to Sky Sports. The noise outside is getting louder; he insists the path inside remains clear.

“There is no panic. I know where we are going and what the plan is,” he said. “I'm sorry for the fans for the result. We have to improve. We have to work hard on the pitch and find the connection between the players.”

That connection is exactly what Tottenham have lacked in these opening weeks – the understanding in defence to stay compact, the chemistry in attack to turn pressure into goals.

The manager is betting that time, repetition and hard training will stitch this expensively assembled squad into a side that can finally “change the story” of recent seasons.

For now, though, the numbers are stark, the mood is raw, and the margin for patience is shrinking. How long will Spurs stick to the plan before that calm De Zerbi talks about is tested for real?