Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, meaning Roberto De Zerbi’s side have failed to score in their opening three Premier League matches for the first time since 1974. Spurs sit 17th after a draw and two defeats from their first three games this season.
A Toothless Return to the City Ground
Forest had the game’s biggest talking point when Neco Williams appeared to force the ball home in the 69th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out by VAR for handball as he shielded his face from a Sandro Tonali clearance. It was the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock in a match short on genuine chances.
Spurs managed just seven shots all afternoon and failed to hit the target once, a return that says as much about their season so far as the scoreline itself. De Zerbi’s side opened the campaign with a 3-0 defeat at Brentford, then lost 0-2 at home to Newcastle United, before Saturday’s stalemate. Across all three games, Tottenham are still waiting for their first goal of the season, Yahoo Sports reported, a drought the club has not suffered since 1974.
The result comes despite Tottenham’s heavy investment over the summer, with the club reported to have spent close to £400 million rebuilding the squad around new arrivals in midfield and attack, according to ESPN. So far, that outlay has not translated into goals.
It is the kind of stalemate that recalls an old piece of Tottenham history from the other end of the pitch. Twenty years ago it was a defensively drilled Spurs side that famously held Chelsea scoreless, the result widely credited with popularising the phrase parking the bus. This time, it is Tottenham on the wrong side of the shutout.
De Zerbi Points to Decision-Making, Not Effort
Speaking after the game, De Zerbi placed the blame on his players’ choices in the final third rather than a lack of application or created opportunities. “We could have scored three or four goals today, because if you take the wrong decision, you don’t score,” he said, according to ESPN.
He struck a measured tone about the wider picture, adding: “We are not happy because we didn’t win, but I think this is the right spirit and the right way to move on.” On the club’s official site, De Zerbi was more direct about where the work needs to happen, saying his side has “to take the better decisions” in the final third even when the underlying performance is sound.
The manager’s calm response reflects a squad still bedding in several new signings, including midfielders Sandro Tonali and Conor Gallagher, both of whom De Zerbi praised individually after the Forest draw. Defender Micky van de Ven was also singled out for a solid afternoon at the back, a rare bright spot in an otherwise frustrating opening month.
What Happens Next for Spurs
Three games in, De Zerbi’s honeymoon period at Tottenham is already under scrutiny, with the club’s home form and lack of firepower likely to dominate discussion before the next international break. The bigger test is whether a squad assembled at considerable cost can start converting possession and territory into goals once the fixture list turns.
Tottenham’s next Premier League outing will be the first real opportunity to end the drought, and with question marks growing around the attack, De Zerbi is under early pressure to show his approach can produce results as well as performances.
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