Roberto De Zerbi's biggest problem has nothing to do with his coaching
The pressure on Roberto De Zerbi's back from the national media has eased after the likes of Gary Neville watched Tottenham Hotspur play against another one of the biggest clubs in English football, and even though Spurs barely drew 1-1 with Manchester United, anyone could see that they were playing the better football, with even United fans booing their own at the half after watching Spurs own them in possession.
Despite all the positives Tottenham have shown in terms of their ability to dominate the ball and move it up the pitch tactically, Spurs are still 19th in the Premier League, just one point ahead of Fulham, because they cannot score. Dominic Solanke missed a few sitters, as did Mohammed Kudus, and Spurs did not score until the 92nd minute to tie the game despite having way more opportunities on the ball.
The match against Manchester United was a reminder that if De Zerbi has a problem and will ultimately face pressure for his job if results do not improve, then it will have nothing to do with his actual coaching. Because the Italian international's tactics and ideas are largely phenomenal, which is why Spurs are so dominant and have improved greatly in terms of how they play from their last managers, including polar opposites Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank.
Roberto De Zerbi left something on the table in the transfer market
But as a general manager, Roberto De Zerbi leaves a lot to be desired. The players he signed were not necessarily bad. Savio is awesome. Mateus Fernandes is a future star in the making, while Jan Paul van Hecke, Omar Marmoush, and Sandro Tonali are good footballers. And as far as veteran free agent signings go, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi aren't terrible either.
The thing is, Tottenham Hotspur spent a lot of money and have nothing to show for it so far in terms of tangible improvements in the table. If anything, they are literally worse, and while it's too early to make that sweeping statement on how they will do this season, it is enough to state that the additions haven't really helped enough so far.
At the crux of it all, Tottenham knew they needed goals and a top striker. They did not sign the right personnel to score more, and De Zerbi had the carte blanche to do whatever he wanted with the players he signed; hence why Spurs signed so many of his personal favorites for admittedly inflated fees like Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke. So De Zerbi's undoing may ultimately be his lack of ability on the transfer market, rather than any coaching flaw.
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