De Zerbi issues brutal reality check after Tottenham fail to win again

Roberto De Zerbi stressed that it will take his new-look Tottenham team time to find their feet after a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest, insisting this is not 'like Football Manager'.

Spurs spent in excess of £300million on new players in the summer transfer window after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League last season but are winless in their opening three games of the new campaign after being held at Forest.

A third successive blank also means Tottenham now have failed to score in their first three games of a season for the first time since 1974-75.

However, De Zerbi pointed to the mitigating factors behind Tottenham's underwhelming start to the new season as their new, expensively assembled team continues to gel.

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"We bought very, very good players but you can't just build the team with the names like in Football Manager," the Italian told Sky Sports post-match.

"We are disappointed for the result but for the performance very happy. Considering we started to work together last Thursday for the first time, for the first day.

"We have to improve in every part of football, organisation with and without the ball. Even today I thought we defended very well.

"We have to work because I think we played very well with the ball, we found the solution. I think we can be much better in the final third."

Sandro Tonali, Jon Paul Van Hecke, Savio and Omar Marmoush were the new signings who started on Saturday with Andy Robertson, Mateus Fernandes and Mykhailo Mudryk later joining the action from the bench.

Mudryk, signed on loan from Chelsea on deadline day, made his first Premier League appearance since November 2024 following a ban for testing positive for a banned substance.

De Zerbi has worked with the Ukraine international previously and has even labelled the 25-year-old as a future Ballon d'Or winner. "He needs time and he needs work," De Zerbi added on Mudryk.

"We have in that position Mathys Tel - big potential - but also Tel takes too many wrong decisions. Two big players with potential."

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