Roberto De Zerbi expressed disappointment after Tottenham Hotspur were held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but the Italian head coach insisted he was satisfied with his team’s overall performance. Speaking to Sky Sports via BBC, De Zerbi highlighted a key opportunity for Omar Marmoush as an example of where his side must improve.
First Point of the Season, But More Needed
The draw earned Tottenham their first point of the Premier League campaign, following a 3-0 defeat at Brentford in the opening round and a 2-0 home loss to Newcastle United. Despite the positive reaction in terms of performance, De Zerbi made it clear that results must follow.
Marmoush Chance Sums Up Final-Third Issues
Reflecting on the match, De Zerbi said: “I feel disappointment because of the result, but I am very happy with the performance. Considering we started working together for the first time last Thursday, from day one, I think we can improve in the final decision and the final pass. I remember the situation with Omar Marmoush when he shot, while Andy Robertson was behind him and coming forward on the same side. If we can improve our play in the final third, I believe we can score a lot of goals because we have players of great quality. Right now it is hard to accept this result because I think we played a good match.”
He added: “We have to keep working because I think we played very well when we had the ball and found solutions. I believe we can be much better in the final third.”
Team Mentality and Key Players
The former Brighton boss stressed the importance of maintaining a winning mentality while staying calm. “The team’s mentality is to win, win, and win again. But I think we have to be calm to keep our confidence. We have players with enough quality to score many goals, like Dominic Solanke, Savio, and Omar Marmoush,” he said.
Second-Half Substitutions and Injury Concerns
De Zerbi also addressed the forced changes early in the second half, which disrupted the team’s rhythm. “I feel sorry because the medical staff asked me to replace Savio and Destiny Udogie after 60 minutes. Mohammed Kudus and Andy Robertson played very well, but perhaps making two substitutions at that moment was not the best decision. However, we cannot risk Savio getting injured again; he is a very important player for us, and the same goes for Destiny. We may have lost some balance and some connection between the lines. We have to respect Nottingham Forest because they consistently relied on second balls and long balls.”
Building a Team Takes Time
When asked about the team’s injury list, De Zerbi emphasized the need for improvement across all aspects of the game. “We have to improve in every aspect of football, whether in organization when we have the ball or when we don’t. Even today, I think we defended very well. We have signed very good players, but you cannot simply build a team based on names, like in Football Manager.”
On Nottingham Forest’s disallowed goal, the Italian declined to comment, saying: “I haven’t seen the replay, so I cannot answer your question.”