Sky Sports and BBC Sport pundit Clinton Morrison fully expects things to start clicking for under-pressure Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur after the international break, despite majority owners ENIC blundering in the summer transfer window.
Spurs sit rock-bottom of the Premier League table after a winless start of the start, with only two points to their name from five games, and are not back in action until October 10 when they head to Manchester United.
While the extended break provides the Tottenham players not called up for international duty a chance to rest, with De Zerbi giving them a week off after a physically draining month of action, the pressure is already mounting on the Italian’s job in north London.
Indeed, many pundits have been critical of De Zerbi and Spurs for their woeful start to the campaign, especially after spending more than £300million on new recruits during a summer in which 10 signings were made.
However, Morrison, who is a boyhood Tottenham fan, claims to have seen signs that should encourage fans over recent weeks, despite the team’s poor results.
When asked about last weekend’s 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa and Tottenham’s poor start overall, the former Palace striker told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast: “Spurs were the better team in that first half and [Zion] Suzuki made three or four outstanding saves.
“I feel like we’ve been saying this a lot with Tottenham so far this season – dominating matches, not being clinical enough, and then getting punished.
“The defending is nowhere near good enough, and they are conceding too many easy goals at the moment. It is a recipe for disaster. But, I do think they will turn it around, and I do think they will have a good season.
“When it clicks for them, they are going to give some team a hiding very soon. I think they have good attacking players; they will score goals and win games at some point.”
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Despite Tottenham’s winless struggles, Morrison is still predicting De Zerbi to lead Spurs to a top-six finish in the Premier League, even if they made a major mistake during all their summer transfer business.
Indeed, Morrison conceded that the one big worry for the club, until January at least, is the lack of a top-class centre-forward in their squad.
He admits that De Zerbi now has the important role of ensuring his forwards’ confidence does not drop ahead of a winnable set of fixtures, including the game at Old Trafford where Red Devils boss Michael Carrick is also under pressure.
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Morrison added: “The only thing they have missed is when signing all these midfielders and attacking players, they have missed a centre forward.
“De Zerbi will not put his arm around you – it’s his way or the highway and you have to produce for him.
“The hierarchy has backed him and given him the money, now he has to get results. But, their upcoming fixtures don’t look too bad.
“I do think scoring their first two Premier League goals, even in defeat, does help moving forward.”