Alan Shearer has delivered a strong assessment of Roberto De Zerbi following Tottenham Hotspur’s miserable start to the Premier League campaign.
Spurs will spend the upcoming three-week international break inside the relegation zone after failing to secure a single victory from their first five league fixtures. De Zerbi’s team have struggled badly at the beginning of the new season, continuing the problems that saw them narrowly avoid relegation last term.
The Italian manager arrived towards the end of the previous campaign and played a key role in helping Tottenham escape danger. With the club looking to rebuild, the board backed him heavily in the transfer market, bringing in several new additions, including some high-profile signings.
Despite the investment, Tottenham had to wait until their fifth Premier League game to finally find the net. Conor Gallagher scored in their 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa, but the result meant Spurs had suffered five consecutive league defeats.
The poor run has inevitably increased pressure on De Zerbi, with former France international Christophe Dugarry already questioning the manager following Tottenham’s disappointing results, including their EFL Cup elimination against Liverpool.
Shearer has now added his voice to the criticism, arguing that De Zerbi must find a solution to Tottenham’s problems.
Speaking to the BBC, the former Newcastle United striker highlighted the number of players brought in by De Zerbi and pointed to Spurs’ worrying record when conceding first.
“He’s signed six of those players who started today. There’s definitely a fragility and weakness about them. In the last 48 games, when they’ve gone behind, they’ve failed to win any of them,” Shearer said.
He added: “That tells you what and who they are at this moment in time and it’s his job to change that. That looks very difficult. It’s incredible. He’s signed six of the ones who started today, so it’s up to him to change it.”
Despite Tottenham’s disastrous beginning to the season, De Zerbi has remained composed and continues to insist that he can reverse the club’s fortunes.
The international break provides the Spurs boss with valuable time to analyse his team, work on his tactics and find a way to make his side more competitive when the Premier League resumes.
However, with Tottenham already struggling at the wrong end of the table, De Zerbi will know that results must improve quickly. Further setbacks could see the pressure on the Italian manager intensify considerably.