September 9: Tottenham Spend €366 Million but Score 0 Goals in Three Matches, a 52-Year Low — Is the Root Cause Really Not De Zerbi?

At the moment Tonali sent the ball flying over the goal, some fans in the stands at the new White Hart Lane had already started putting away their phones and putting on their coats. It was not boos, but a more frightening silence — supporters did not know who to blame. Three matches, three opponents, zero goals, the first time this has happened in 52 years. Tottenham spent €366 million this summer and ended up with a team that cannot even produce shots on target.

How should this be calculated? Everyone is asking the same question: De Zerbi, are you the victim or the culprit?

The answer is not a simple either-or choice. This time, the management and the head coach have to take responsibility separately.

The €366 million was not money De Zerbi wanted to spend; he did not even have the authority to decide whom to buy.

Tottenham's transfer-window logic was simple and direct: buy players who are already circulating within the Premier League, have played in the Premier League, and have big reputations, even at inflated prices.

Tonali for €108 million, Matheus Fernandes for €99 million, Savinho for €87.7 million, Van Hecke for €60 million — all four deals involved premiums, all were purchases from rival clubs, and none were tailored to De Zerbi's possession-based system.

This is not team building; it is shopping. Yangcheng Evening News' summer-window review put it bluntly: Tottenham's core logic for selecting players was that they had already proven their ability to handle Premier League intensity, rather than whether they fit De Zerbi's tactical system. In plain language: the management believed that as long as the players were assembled, the coach could figure it out himself.

But football is not a puzzle. Tonali, the highly anticipated €100-million midfielder, was completely out of rhythm in the first two rounds. The midfield's ability to organize attacks was missing, leaving the forwards to operate individually without passing links. A newly purchased key player disappearing during matches is not something a coach can immediately fix.

But having said that, the head coach cannot escape responsibility.

De Zerbi himself admitted a startling fact: the entire team did not complete its first training session with all new signings until last Thursday. With only one week together, it was difficult even to remember teammates' names, let alone build an attacking system.

This is why Tottenham legend Hart made a strong criticism: Newcastle, which also experienced major squad changes, fully carried out new coach Jaissle's tactical ideas and adapted extremely quickly, but with Tottenham there was no clear tactical direction from De Zerbi and the players had not formed a unified understanding of execution.

Against Nottingham Forest in the third round, Tottenham had 60 percent possession and zero shots on target. Sixty percent possession without a single effort on goal — this was not a matter of luck, but a complete failure in how the team handled the ball in the attacking third. De Zerbi also admitted after the match that the team had clear shortcomings in the attacking third.

Acknowledging the issue is one thing, but after three matches, fans still cannot understand how the team wants to play. On this point, the head coach cannot avoid responsibility.

There are two typical cases in Premier League history that provide a reference point for Tottenham's current situation.

In 2025, Chelsea spent £150 million on attacking players during the summer window, only to suffer five consecutive defeats and score no goals later in the season. Then-manager Rosennior changed his center-back combinations 14 times in 23 matches, publicly criticized players after games, and the dressing room completely lost control before he was dismissed after 106 days. He had significant influence over recruitment, so he bore full responsibility for the collapse in results.

That same year, Nottingham Forest spent more than £120 million on signings, and new coach Postecoglou failed to win any of his first six competitive matches. He did not approve of the new signings and insisted on copying his previous high-pressing approach. The club owner eventually publicly admitted that earlier personnel decisions had been mistakes and accepted management responsibility before dismissing the coach.

Tottenham's current situation is more similar to Forest's — the head coach had little influence over recruitment, and the players bought by management do not match the system the coach wants to play. But the industry rule is that once the attack completely collapses, regardless of the coach's influence over recruitment, changing the manager is always the club's first damage-control move.

De Zerbi has not reached the point of being dismissed yet, not because the management believes it made mistakes, but because only three matches have been played and there is still time to give him. However, if the attack continues without goals, nobody will be able to protect him.

After the match, De Zerbi said a sentence that unintentionally exposed the absurdity of the whole situation: “We bought very, very good players, but you cannot build a team only by names like you do in Football Manager.”

That sentence sounded like it was aimed at Tottenham's management, while also being a request for more time for himself.