Furious Roberto De Zerbi criticises Tottenham's misfiring attack after another goalless Premier League draw
De Zerbi demands attacking improvement
Tottenham have failed to score in their opening three games for the first time since 1974 after securing a 0-0 draw on Saturday. Roberto De Zerbi was left furious with his £165 million attack after they failed to test the opposing goalkeeper against Oliver Glasner and his team.
The manager pointed out several missed opportunities where poor choices cost his side dearly. "In the last third we have to improve," De Zerbi said. "We have to improve and take better decisions, make keep calmer when we are close to doing something important in the final third."
Poor decision-making costs Spurs
De Zerbi highlighted specific moments where Tottenham wasted promising attacking positions. He noted that players opted for the wrong pass despite having clear options. "When Omar Marmoush had a shot and it went over, we had Andy Robertson overlapping. If we had taken the right decision, Mohammed Kudus was at the far post waiting to score," he explained.
"How many crosses did we send beyond the far post? Mathys Tel, twice. Savio, once. Tel has big potential but he takes too many wrong decisions." He also confirmed that substituting Savio, following his £75m move, and Destiny Udogie was entirely down to medical advice.
Nottingham Forest left frustrated by VAR
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest were left incensed by a controversial intervention that denied them a victory. Neco Williams had a second-half goal ruled out for handball after Sandro Tonali's attempted clearance deflected off the Welshman.
Glasner heavily criticised the decision, stating: "So if we are guessing, VAR cannot intervene. It’s not clear and obvious and we were told before the season the threshold (for intervention) should be very high. We accept the point but it feels like we lost two."
Williams also defended himself, adding: "It's a goal. VAR is there when there is a clear and obvious error and for me that is not clear and obvious. I've seen the images and the replays and at not one moment did I think I handballed it."
What is next for Tottenham and Forest
Both Tottenham and Nottingham Forest remain desperate for their first victories of the campaign as they head into crucial upcoming fixtures. De Zerbi must rapidly fix his misfiring £165m attack before they host Everton next weekend. Meanwhile, Glasner and his squad will travel to Aston Villa, hoping to convert their promising performances into a much-needed three points.
