Roberto De Zerbi couldn’t hide his main reaction of disappointment as Tottenham Hotspur lost 3-2 at home to Aston Villa on Saturday.
De Zerbi stormed straight down the tunnel at the final whistle.
Spurs have now lost three of their opening five games of the season and they have just two points on the board heading into the long international break.
Tottenham Hotspur have now won just five home league games in their last 36.
Over $430 million was spent this summer on new players for De Zerbi to help turn things around at Spurs, but they look totally devoid of confidence in attack despite creating plenty of chances.
Here’s the latest Roberto De Zerbi reaction from north London after Spurs’ defeat to Aston Villa.
Roberto De Zerbi reaction
On his thoughts on the game: “I think we could score the first half many, many times,” De Zerbi told TNT Sports in the UK. “We concede the the goal in 10 players but we we had to stay more focused to defending that situation in extra time in the first half. In the second half we concede goal from the goal kick directly. Before then we score but it’s offside. The third goal, a great goal of Buendia. But I have to say, we played well in the first half, we didn’t score but too fragile.”
On what more he can do as a manager when his players don’t score the first goal despite having so many chances in the first half: “If we didn’t score it’s my responsibility. I take the responsibility. We’re going to work harder, but football is like life. You are strong or you lose.”
On the poor home form of just five league wins in the last 36 attempts and how difficult that is for their chances of success: “I can’t speak before my time, I can speak just for my work. We have to, like I said, improve the quality of the play, but to be stronger, no? Otherwise the game is not 90 minutes in ball possession, 90 minutes in the last third during the game, there are situations when we have to stay closer, we have to stay stronger, we have to defend better, ball on ball, and we didn’t, or we didn’t in the right way.”
On what he means when he says Spurs must be stronger: “Stronger, when we are in 10 players, one minute, we have to stay, we have to call, we have to stay like a family in the goal area to defend. Not so easy, like the goal kick in the second half when we concede the second goal. It’s too less to concede goal. To score one goal we have to create 20 chances and the others, just one half, no one, because the goal kick is not a chance. Too easy for them to score, no?”
On if the international break has come at the wrong or right time to turn things around: “I don’t know if it’s right or not because it’s difficult to give an opinion. Because we played well and we created many, many chances. And then is is incredible how it can change one game, no? Because after the Buendia goal we were losing 3-0 and if you watch the first half, you can’t understand how at the end of the game, Tottenham could lose 3-0. There is a big, big work, but it’s my responsibility.”
🚨 Roberto De Zerbi: “We can't concede that second goal. We can't lose balance. The way we conceded the second goal was incredible”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 19, 2026
“Today I am very disappointed, very sad and very frustrated for the performance”.
“We can NOT lose a game in this way”, says via @AlasdairGold. pic.twitter.com/WSM1KFX5Jo
