Three games, zero goals and, against Nottingham Forest, zero shots on target
Sam Tabuteau, Sports Reporter
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Tottenham’s 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest may have been devoid of inspiration, but Roberto De Zerbi will hope it marks a step in the right direction.
A first point and a first clean sheet of the season constitute progress. However, Spurs’ scoreless streak now stretches to three league games, and they looked no closer to ending their barren spell in front of goal at the City Ground.
De Zerbi’s side, despite sporting £145million worth of new attacking talent in the form of Savio and Omar Marmoush, failed to register a single shot on target against Forest as the two sides played out a war of attrition that won’t live long in the memory.
Savio, for all his energy and endeavor, lacked incision, while his former City team-mate, Marmoush, could not keep his composure in the fleeting moments when Spurs had Forest’s defence worried.
Savio got fans off their seats
AFP/Getty
Decision-making in the final third continues to be an issue for Spurs, with De Zerbi criticising Mathys Tel for a performance in which he spent 74 minutes trying to bring the ball under his spell.
“We have Mathys Tel, big potential. But also, Mathys takes too many wrong decisions,” De Zerbi said post-match.
The problem, though, lies not in young players making mistakes but in the regularity with which they are able to make them.
Spurs simply do not create enough opportunities for their attackers to showcase their quality. They rank ninth for touches in the opposition box, 16th for shots on target per match and 14th for big chances created.
It is therefore little surprise then that the three Spurs players who rank highest for xG this season are centre-back Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke - who has yet to start a league game - and the recently departed Mikey Moore.
Spurs’ attacking deficiencies ultimately stem from a midfield lacking structure, cohesion and a creative threat. This is an age-old problem that shows no signs of improvement despite heavy investment over the summer.
There was no lack of intensity from Sandro Tonali, Rodrigo Bentancur or Conor Gallagher against Forest.
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They competed well, covered ground and fulfilled their defensive responsibilities - Tonali and Bentancur ranked second and third, respectively, for distance covered.
But crucially, when they got on the ball, they lacked both the inclination and the accuracy to play forward and ask questions of Forest in transition. They managed a combined eight passes into the final third.
Omar Marmoush
Getty
This, though, is not necessarily a fault of the players but a reflection of the profiles that De Zerbi has within his squad.
Playing Gallagher as a makeshift No10 is not the solution, while it was a little concerning to hear De Zerbi say that he did not feel entirely comfortable using Mateus Fernandes, by far Spurs’ most creative fit and available midfielder, in amongst Forest’s physicality.
The return of James Maddison from a shoulder fracture can’t come soon enough, but there are no guarantees that the England midfielder will be able to put a string of appearances together.
De Zerbi could also look to Mohammed Kudus, who has been bright on his return from a serious quad injury, as an option through the middle. But as with all the options currently at his disposal, there is an element of risk attached that exposes one of the main shortcomings in Spurs’ aggressive summer of spending.
Spurs did well to cover most bases in what was an ambitious squad overhaul, but they remain short of a creative midfielder who can open up space and opportunities for their attack to flourish.
De Zerbi has a gaping wide issue in the middle of the park, and not an awful lot of solutions staring him in the face right now.
Goals win games, and there is only so long De Zerbi can go with a distinct lack of either.
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