Tottenham's biggest attacking problem isn't tactical, it's mental

As a whole, Tottenham Hotspur actually improved in a lot of respects over this past Premier League weekend, and that was partially reflected by the fact that Spurs drew Nottingham Forest 0-0, which is a marked improvement from being torn to bits by Brentford on Matchday 1 and then trounced 2-0 by Newcastle United the previous weekend.

Even so, zero goals against Nottingham Forest is hardly worth praising, and while Sandro Tonali bounced back and Rodrigo Bentancur deilvered another masterful midfield performance to really put his critics in the mud, all Spurs fans could talk about after two more dropped points was the anemic attack.

Omar Marmoush did not build on a promising debut and was dreadful, nearly as poor as Mathys Tel, who continues to leave Tottenham fans puzzled as to why he cannot put it together consistently, especially after he was literally the team's best overall player during the preseason. And Mohammed Kudus definitely showed his rust in his first start back.

Tottenham's attack looks mentally weak

Roberto De Zerbi is starting to have to answer the same uncomfortable questions that Thomas Frank did last year, albeit at a surprisingly even earlier stage in the season. Pundits and even rival manager Oliver Glasner have raised the point that De Zerbi's tactics are predictable and not that strong, but Spurs attacking problems are not specifically tactical.

Tottenham Hotspur lack a killer instinct and a cohesiveness as an attack. Omar Marmoush squanderd some great chances, not just in terms of keeping a cool head as a finsher but also in terms of keeping a cool head to think of other options and find the pass at the right time. Spurs fans hung their heads in frustration as he missed the golden chance to square away Mohammed Kudus for what would have been the winning goal for the Lilywhites.

That mentality issue is perhaps even better encapsulated by what Mathys Tel has been doing these past two weeks. Tel has been tripping over himself, hogging the ball instead of releasing it to pass, and genuinely trying to do much on the ball without thinking about the most efficient way of creating a scoring opportunity for another player - or even for himself.

Spurs forwards are too focused on their own goals and not focused enough on letting the game flow, knowing when to make the pass, and keeping it simple with the finishing. The result is too few chances created, an awful lot of possession squandered, and wasteful finishing. No matter who starts or where and how they play under De Zerbi, Spurs will not be able to score goals if they are mentally weak like this.

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