According to Sky Sports’ review on 21 September, Tottenham had taken only 2 points and scored two goals from their first five Premier League games of 2026–2027. They remained winless and entered the international break at the bottom of the table. The outlet put summer recruitment spending above £300 million, but the additions had yet to produce consistent performances. A 2–3 home defeat to Aston Villa included missed scoring opportunities and exposed problems responding when a player temporarily left the field.
Against Villa: chances missed and temporary cover falters
Tottenham’s club report on 19 September recorded first-half efforts from Savinho and Archie Gray saved by Zion Suzuki before Spurs conceded in stoppage time. Van de Ven had suffered a head knock and left for treatment, temporarily reducing Tottenham to ten players. After Kamara’s shot, Manzambi put the ball in from close range. Spurs had failed to turn their earlier attacking opportunities into a lead.
At his post-match press conference that day, De Zerbi said Bentancur needed to cover at centre-back while Van de Ven was off, with Mateus Fernandes also adjusting his midfield duties. He called for communication, compactness and leadership to organise team-mates in such moments. His focus was on rapidly reallocating tasks on the pitch.
Tottenham conceded further after the break and were 0–3 down by the 79th minute. Gallagher scored in the 86th minute and Van Hecke added another in the final stages of stoppage time. Discussing the second-half loss of balance, De Zerbi said the team had become impatient to recover and started forcing passes. He did not simply blame Kudus’s introduction, adding that he had already told the attacking players to stay calm in the 51st minute.
Five-game attacking figures and the reality of a new line-up
Sky Sports’ review said Tottenham then had the Premier League’s lowest average expected goals (xG) per shot, with total xG ahead of only Coventry. Expected goals estimates the likelihood of a shot becoming a goal. Those two measures assess attack through the quality of an individual chance and cumulative output respectively. Spurs created several good chances against Villa, but their overall five-game performance remained low.
Personnel changes and player condition also provide context. The review noted that more than half Tottenham’s starters against Villa had not been at the club the previous season. Speaking about Solanke afterwards, De Zerbi said he needed to regain better physical condition and confidence. That feedback can explain why adjustment takes time, but cannot establish that all problems will disappear through familiarity alone.
INKA SPORTS analysis: what two late goals have yet to resolve
With both average shot xG and total xG low, attributing the five-game scoring shortfall entirely to finishing would overlook chance creation. Defensively, Van de Ven’s temporary absence affected responsibilities at both centre-back and midfield, giving specific match context to the coach’s calls for communication and compactness. Recovering two goals from 0–3 showed Tottenham could score in this game, but did not remove the earlier disorder in temporary cover or the imbalance created by chasing urgently. Attacking improvement needs a sustained supply of good chances; greater stability requires better responses to changes in personnel and score.
Summary
By this international break, Tottenham’s heavy investment had not translated into points or sustained scoring. The Villa game showed an ability to create chances and score late, while the five-match data and the coach’s comments call for a measured assessment. Progress should mean consistently generating more threatening shots and maintaining clear responsibilities and cooperation when temporarily a player short or trailing. Five games are not enough to determine the entire season.
