Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi says his expensively assembled squad needs time to develop an identity after a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest left Spurs without a goal in their opening three Premier League matches.
The result gave Tottenham their first point of the season after defeats by Brentford and Newcastle. It is the first time the club have failed to score in their first three league games since the 1974-75 season.
Tottenham were the better side at the City Ground but failed to register a shot on target in a top-flight match for the first time since April 2022. A second-half goal by Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams was ruled out by the video assistant referee for handball.
De Zerbi said Tottenham’s 10 senior summer arrivals needed time to build an understanding.
> “You can’t just build the team with the names like in Football Manager,” he told Sky Sports.
The manager praised his team’s organisation and performance with the ball but said they needed to make better decisions in the final third.
“We have to improve in every part of football,” De Zerbi said. “In the last third we have to improve, we have to take better decisions, maybe keep calmer when we are close to doing something important.”
Tottenham have spent more than £300m on new players since last March. Omar Marmoush, Savio, Sandro Tonali and Jon Paul Van Hecke were among the new signings to start against Forest.
Former midfielder Danny Murphy also said Tottenham lacked composure in promising positions, arguing that players rushed shots and made incorrect choices with crosses and pullbacks.
Mykhailo Mudryk made his first Premier League appearance in 646 days after joining Tottenham on an initial loan from Chelsea. De Zerbi said Mudryk and Mathys Tel, who also plays in that position, both have significant potential but need time and work.
Savio and Destiny Udogie were substituted after about an hour as part of a planned change made on medical advice. De Zerbi said both players were not yet in the best physical condition to play the full 90 minutes.