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Tottenham could use new winger Savio to exploit one area of Aston Villa heading into their game this weekend.

Spurs are still searching for their first win in the Premier League this season, while they are still looking to find the back of the net for the first time.

The North London club did score against Premier League opposition during the week, but they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

They face an Aston Villa side who are also struggling in the Premier League and still without a win under their belt. Unai Emery's side have managed to find the back of the net, but only on one occasion.

Both sides will be desperate to finally kickstart their season, as it's been incredibly disappointing for the pair of them.

Tottenham will be hoping they can finally score their first goal as they face 19th in the Premier League. One player who could help them exploit Villa would be Brazilian winger Savio.

It was recently confirmed that Aston Villa left-back Ian Maatsen is set to miss an extended period of time due to injury.

That leaves Villa with Mateo Ruggeri as their left-back option, but the 24-year-old has played just 23 minutes in the Premier League so far.

The former Atletico Madrid man is far from a poor option for the Midlands club, but his lack of Premier League experience could be something to exploit.

Ruggeri was given his first full 90 minutes against Coventry in the Carabao Cup during the week, but Savio should be a much tougher test for him.

The former Manchester City man has struggled to contribute significantly during his Premier League career when it comes to goals and assists, but he's always a nightmare for defenders due to his dribbling.

Ruggeri not fully settled in Premier League

As mentioned, Ruggeri is far from a poor option for Villa, but Emery will be disappointed not to have his starting left-back.

Ruggeri is still only 24 years old and is now tasked with adjusting to life in a new country while getting used to a new style of football.

That's never easy for any new addition, so facing a player like Savio in his first Premier League start could be difficult for the defender.

It's an area that Spurs can look to exploit if Savio is at the top of his game, as he's a nightmare to defend against when he's in full flow.

Tottenham Hotspur's start to the season has been a complete nightmare.

Roberto De Zerbi splashed almost £400m in the summer transfer window, but after four games in the Premier League the team are winless and haven't scored a single goal, while they have also been eliminated from the EFL Cup following a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in midweek.

The goal they scored in the game against Liverpool was a Conor Gallagher header from a corner, with their attacking options all struggling to find any sort of joy in front of goal. But there were plenty of opportunities for Spurs, only for players to pass up the chances.

One thing that was very obvious was that the midfield options in the squad are terrified of making deliberate passes forward into the striker.

There were several occasions when the wingers or striker ran into space behind the Liverpool defence, and the midfield opted for a safe pass out wide, or inside to a teammate just a couple of yards away.

The lack of creativity and ability to play that pass makes it very difficult for goals to be scored, and we have regularly seen the forward players just stop making the runs as they know they're not going to get the ball.

One person who didn't do that, though, was Mathys Tel. Playing on the left wing, he constantly ran into the space, splitting the full-back and centre-back, but he rarely received the ball in those promising positions.

Despite his pace and dribbling ability, playing out wide hasn't suited the young French forward. His instinct is to run towards goal constantly, and that would make him better suited to playing as a number nine, which would also allow for Mohammed Kudus, Omar Marmoush, and Savio to share the duties in the winger positions.

Tel Must Change or He Has No Future at Spurs

Described as an 'unbelievable finisher' by Thomas Muller, it's clear where the 21-year-old's strengths lie. Get him in and around the penalty area, and give the chance to shoot without worrying about the build-up play.

De Zerbi had stern words for the youngster on the pitch after the 0-0 draw with Everton last weekend, and it's clear that the Italian wasn't happy with how Tel is performing. So moving him to a position that he knows well, is suited too, and where Spurs need something different to find a solution to their goal problems could be ideal for everyone.

If that doesn't work in the coming games, or isn't at least explored by Tottenham, then it is likely the end of the road for Tel in north London.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi has offered an update on the squad's fitness ahead of their Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.

Spurs are yet to win a game or score a goal in the Premier League this season after four games, having lost to Brentford and Newcastle, while being held to 0-0 draws by Nottingham Forest and Everton. Their season got worse in midweek too, when they were eliminated from the EFL Cup thanks to a 3-1 defeat by Liverpool.

The manager has been without a number of first-team stars due to injury so far in this campaign, but was also able to welcome back the likes of James Maddison recently following a shoulder problem.

Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Xavi Simons (knee) and Wilson Odobert (knee) are yet to feature for the club this season as they continue to recover from injury, while Sandro Tonali, Pedro Porro, and Mykhailo Mudryk have also been unavailable.

The manager, speaking in his pre-match press conference, has confirmed that Simons, Odobert, and Mudryk are still missing, but Porro, Tonali, and Maddison are available to play.

"Porro, Tonali and Maddison all available to play. As normal, we have to understand them in terms of physical condition.

"We have to manage Deki [Kulusevski] in the best way we can, but this is a great thing for us because he is a good player and a good guy.

"He deserves to play again and we have to work day by day and also for Deki it is important the national break because when he is at top condition and over the injury, he will be like another new signing.

"James is working with the team the last 10 or 15 days. Maybe less than 15 days. He needs to be fit, to stay in a good condition. When he arrives in the best condition, he is very important for us.'

De Zerbi Could Hand Williams-Barnett a Chance

Tottenham have seen a number of players handed a chance to impress under De Zerbi, and the vast majority have failed to do so.

But one player who fans are desperate to see given an opportunity is young forward Lucas Williams-Barnett, who shone in pre-season despite being just 17 years old.

De Zerbi confirmed that while he has a number of attacking options available, he is considering giving the teenager a chance.

"Yes I have a big consideration because he's a good player and a potential big player. We have to understand when is the best situation for him and the team also. It's a different job to manage a young player, especially when they have the potential to be a top player. You can't put them in a bad condition but you also can't forget about them. I didn't forget about Luca and I didn't forget about Malachi but it's about the right moment.

Tottenham have one more opportunity to get their first Premier League win of the 2026/27 season before September's international break arrives.

With Roberto De Zerbi and all connected with Tottenham desperate to get their campaign firmly up and running after such a poor start, a win against Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime would give everyone a huge lift ahead of the break in play.

Draw or a defeat, however, and it will be a long three weeks before the team return to Premier League action with an away trip to Manchester United.

Tottenham are going to have to sort their issues out in front of goal if they are to beat Villa after so far failing to score in their opening four league fixtures.

They did get off the mark for the season in Tuesday's Carabao Cup defeat at Liverpool, though, after Conor Gallagher gave them hope late on.

Amid Spurs' struggles to score, they did have enough chances throughout the game to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup but the finishing touch was dearly lacking.

Spurs did look better for having James Maddison on the pitch in the final 15 minutes of the contest, with the attacking midfielder catching the eye in a bright cameo with his quality on the ball and ability to pick out a pass.

Injury has left the player on the sidelines for the best part of a year and his absence has been felt, especially with Tottenham lacking that cutting edge in the final third.

Maddison is quite clearly desperate to make up for lost time and what he produced in those 15 minutes should certainly give De Zerbi food for thought heading into this weekend's game.

With Tottenham now more than ever needing a win, a start for Maddison, fitness permitting, of course, should be a no-brainer for the Spurs boss.

James Maddison's Liverpool performance in numbers (via FotMob)

What De Zerbi said about Maddison after the game

De Zerbi was asked about Maddison in his post-match press conference after the 29-year-old impressed in his limited game time.

While the boss did hail Maddison as a "special player" in his time speaking to the media, he did also stress the importance of his player's fitness levels after so much time in the treatment room over the past year.

"Maddison is for sure a different player, a special player," he explained. "But he has to be fit, he has to be in the right physical condition. Because the Premier League intensity, even tonight, is incredible. And then we can play with eight attackers. Also the goalkeeper."

Whether Maddison is in the right condition to start Saturday's match against Aston Villa remains to be seen, with De Zerbi likely to give another update on his player in his press conference on Friday.

Tottenham need to start getting Maddison on the pitch for a lot longer, though, as they look to end their attacking woes for good.

Tottenham Hotspur would be unable to use Mauro Icardi until January if they choose to sign him in the coming days, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

Tottenham have made a disappointing start to the season following a summer of hope in the transfer market, losing three of their six matches so far in all competitions.

Their only win came against Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month, but one of their most worrying issues is that, aside from the game against the Addicks, they have been largely toothless in front of goal.

Roberto De Zerbi would have been hoping for goals having added Savio, Omar Marmoush, Mykhailo Mudryk and Mateus Fernandes to his squad over the summer, but Spurs are yet to find the net in the Premier League.

They have one final chance to do so before the international break, when they host Unai Emery's Aston Villa in north London on Saturday.

Should they fail to score again, alarm bells will be ringing and there has been a suggestion that they could consider bringing in a free-agent striker.

Dominic Solanke - 180 PL appearances, 40 goals

Omar Marmoush - 40 PL appearances, 10 goals

Richarlison - 276 PL appearances, 75 goals

Indeed, reports from Italy, via Sport Witness, have claimed that Tottenham are interested in signing Icardi, who is available for nothing after leaving Turkish giants Galatasaray following the expiry of his contract at the end of last season.

The player is said to be open to a move as he looks for an ambitious project, having also been linked with joining Lazio in Serie A.

There is one issue though, given Spurs have already submitted their 25-man Premier League squad for the first half of the season, as journalist Barclay confirmed via his X account on Thursday morning.

Even if Tottenham signed Icardi now, they wouldn't be able to register him or play him until 2027, which ultimately defeats the purpose of doing any business before January.

Icardi Would be Strong Mid-Season Option

While Tottenham appear unlikely to sign any free-agent now, Icardi could be an interesting option in January if their goalscoring problems continue in the next few months, and he is still available.

The issue around the Argentine striker will always be his very public off-field disputes, but what isn't in dispute is what he can deliver on the pitch.

Icardi is a proven goalscorer and even though he is now 33 years of age, he showed at Galatasaray that he still knows where the goal is.

GIVEMESPORT have written previously that Tottenham made a big mistake not signing a recognised centre-forward in the summer, especially given the fact they now can't use Richarlison, with the Brazilian not registered having failed to secure a move away from the club.

Meanwhile, Dominic Solanke continues to struggle to find any sort of form in a white shirt.

Omar Marmoush doesn't look like being the answer either, and having reportedly been offered Victor Osimhen in the summer and with other strikers like Ivan Toney potentially available, it is the major shortcoming of their impressive summer spend.

Spurs will have to hope that it doesn't prove a fatal blow to their hopes of finishing in the European spots in the Premier League, with another three-and-a-half months until they can rectify it.

Tottenham made a critical error with their summer business, and it is becoming clearer by the day. Spurs spent more than £300million in a bid to go from back-to-back bottom-half finishes to being European football contenders under Roberto De Zerbi, and despite a very poor start, it remains too early to tell whether all that spending will pay off.

The signs aren't good. Spurs do not look coherent and they do not look effective, but we have seen plenty of teams shake off poor starts in the past, until - or indeed if - this poor start crystalises, the season cannot be written off.

What we can do, even at this early stage, is look at the money spent and where it could have been spent more wisely, and there is one glaringly obvious mistake that Spurs made. It takes a lot to make a great football team, given the competition out there and the money spent, but there is a shortcut that many clubs know exist.

Every top team needs a pivot in the midfield who can break up play, arguably two, but one is non-negotiable. There are no top teams without that player, and Tottenham may argue they have one in Sandro Tonali, although we will reserve judgment until he has played a fair amount.

Tottenham's results so far

Brentford 3-0 Spurs

Spurs 5-1 Charlton (Carabao Cup)

Spurs 0-2 Newcastle United

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Spurs

Spurs 0-0 Everton

Liverpool 3-1 Spurs (Carabao Cup)

The shortcut to success without having the rest of the talent is a top striker who can reliably score goals. Granted, there aren't too many around, but they do exist. The Kylian Mbappes, Erling Haalands and even now the Harry Kanes look to be out of Tottenham's reach, but there are other reliable goalscorers out there.

Ollie Watkins left Aston Villa this summer. Victor Osimhen looked to be potentially gettable and was reportedly offered to them following stunning form for Galatasaray that saw him labelled as 'the best striker in the world' by Nigeria manager Eric Chelle.

Ivan Toney was also one to keep an eye on according to GMS sources, while Lautaro Martinez could potentially have been snatched at the right price, while Karim Adeyemi joined Barcelona and is off to a flyer in front of goal.

Instead, Spurs signed Omar Marmoush, who, although a fine player, often looks more like a winger playing up top, and they will rely on the still ineffective Dominic Solanke to provide competition, while Richarlison has been cast aside.

Spurs did some smart business this summer, but they must have known that signing a goalscorer could have offered them the quickest route towards those European places?

The proof is in the pudding, too. Spurs have looked painfully blunt in front of goal, failing to score a single Premier League goal so far. That will change, and some goals will come, but Spurs will likely not have a player who scores more than 12 Premier League goals this season, and if they are to fall short of their European ambitions, that will be the biggest reason they do.

To spend more than £300million and not have a genuine goal threat is stunning in the modern game, which is built on goals, unless you can effectively dominate the ball and press in the way that teams like Spain and Arsenal can because of their talent elsewhere on the pitch. Spurs don't have that level of talent, nor are they seeking to play that way under De Zerbi. They have failed to recognise perhaps their greatest need, and they may already be paying the price.

A deal for a player like Osimhen would have been game-changing and given them exactly what they are currently lacking.

Tottenham were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the third round stage on Tuesday night as they lost 3-1 away at Liverpool.

It meant their disappointing start to the season under Roberto De Zerbi continued, with Spurs' only win of the season so far coming in the previous round of the competition against Championship side Charlton Athletic.

Spurs are yet to win in the Premier League and are without a goal in their four top flight matches so far, with an expensively assembled squad yet to gel properly under the Italian head coach.

They had zero shots on target at all in the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest and the Lilywhites second from bottom in the Premier League when it comes to shots on target for the season so far. They have managed just 12, with only Aston Villa - whom they play this weekend - having fewer.

It is not just down to the frontmen, with creativity sadly lacking so far this season. Players who would regularly play in the No.10 role have been missing so far, with Dejan Kulusevski not seen since the end of the 2024/25 campaign and Xavi Simons likely out of action until the start of 2027 with an ACL injury.

James Maddison himself is working his way back to full fitness, following his own ACL injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of the 2025/26 season. He has made cameo appearances off the bench in the opening day defeat to Brentford and then the most recent Premier League match with Everton, while also getting 15 minutes in his legs against the Reds on Tuesday night.

He could be key in turning Spurs' fortunes around, with many supporters hoping to see him on the pitch with more regularity sooner rather than later.

However, De Zerbi made an admission following the defeat to Liverpool that may leave some fans scratching their heads when it comes to Maddison's future in the starting lineup.

Kudus is another great news for us. Because he can play also as a number 10. We can play with Savio, Kudus, Solanke and Marmoush.

Mohammed Kudus is a major plus point for De Zerbi in returning from his own injury problems, but many would have been expecting the Ghanaian to come in and be a regular starter in one of the wide positions in a De Zerbi set-up.

That's where he played against Liverpool, but the Italian's statement about playing in the ten suggests he could have other ideas, maybe just while he waits for regular starters in that role to return to action fully.

Maddison has not played a full 90 minutes since January 19, 2025 - almost two years - although there were a few matches later in that season where he got 70 and 80-plus minutes.

Maddison stats for Spurs:

De Zerbi wants to ease him back gently and not put too much pressure on him.

"Maddison is for sure a different player, a special player. But he has to be fit, he has to be in the right physical condition. Because the Premier League intensity, even tonight, is incredible. And then we can play with eight attackers."

The 29-year-old was many people's pick to be the new club captain at Spurs following Cristian Romero's departure in the summer, and there was some surprise when he was only named as the fourth choice by De Zerbi, with Micky van de Ven as the skipper and Pedro Porro and Ben Davies ahead of the Englishman.

Many supporters may not agree with Kudus playing in the No.10 position if it is ahead of Maddison, but it may be that the former Leicester City man is set for a diminishing role in De Zerbi's new-look Tottenham Hotspur team. Or it may be that pushing him further down the captaincy list, and talking about other players for the No.10 role takes the weight of expectation off Maddison's shoulders, so he can focus on his recovery and not worry about external issues.

Liverpool advanced to the fourth round of the EFL Cup as they beat Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Tuesday night, despite Andoni Iraola making 10 changes to the starting XI that drew with Fulham at the weekend.

Cup competitions are usually seen as the perfect opportunity for managers to take a look at fringe players, as the Spaniard chose to do as Liverpool hosted Roberto De Zerbi's men.

Youngsters Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas were among those given rare starts, while Jeremie Frimpong started at right-back having found himself behind Ronald Araujo in the pecking order in recent matches.

Iraola likes attacking full-backs, but the Netherlands international offered little from an attacking point of view, while Spurs clearly targeted his side as they looked to get some attacking joy, as he had trouble containing the likes of Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Omar Marmoush during his 90 minutes on the pitch.

Frimpong has so far failed to impress in a red shirt, and he has been lambasted by fans at times both this season and last for his performances.

It looks clear right now that Araujo is Iraola's first-choice right-back, while Conor Bradley will be back in action sooner rather than later after injury.

The Dutch full-back has a lot of improving to do to prove that he has a future at Liverpool, having cost the Merseyside outfit £30m from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025.

Right now, he is viewed as one of the club's weakest players, which suggests that a new first-choice right-back needs to be signed given they are yet to find a player who can match what Trent Alexander-Arnold brought to the party prior to his move to Real Madrid.

Wataru Endo Has No Future at Liverpool

One player who is worse than Frimpong but may have expected a start, or at least get some minutes, against Tottenham, would have been midfielder Wataru Endo.

The 33-year-old was already excluded from the club's 25-man Champions League squad last week, along with Federico Chiesa, with the likes of McConnell and Nyoni named ahead of him.

With 10 changes made to the starting XI against Tottenham and Endo being an unused substitute in all four of Liverpool's Premier League matches so far this term, it looked like the perfect opportunity to give the £16m man some action in midfield, or even in defence.

Endo impressed in a centre-back role against Como during pre-season, but he hasn't been seen there since.

However, Iraola picked 22-year-old McConnell and 19-year-old Nyoni instead of him in the XI, even though Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai began the game from the bench.

Speaking in recent days, the Spanish manager made it clear that he sees other players being ahead of Endo in the pecking order, but also that he expects him to have his moments this season.

“The problem is, in front of him in his position, I have a lot of players," Iraola said.

He’s competing against a lot of players because we are also giving minutes to Trey (Nyoni), Ryan (Gravenberch), Alexis (Mac Allister), Dom (Szoboszlai), players that I am selecting right now.

“But Wata is definitely a player that I like and for sure he will have his moments.”

If truth be told, if you aren't getting any minutes in a game like this where there are multiple changes and chances given to younger players, then when exactly is Endo going to get any time on the pitch?

Endo's contract runs out at the end of the season, and it appears likely that Liverpool will look to take advantage of their final opportunity to recoup some money for him in January, with so many players considered being ahead of him.

Iraola clearly doesn't fancy him, and the best outcome for all parties looks to be an exit in a few months' time.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi looks set to benefit from another cash injection from owners the Lewis Family, with the January transfer window just around the corner.

Spurs splashed out more than £300million in the summer transfer window as the Italian head coach rebuilt the squad he inherited, bringing in ten new signings and shipping 17 players out the door, although some of those may yet return from loan spells.

Tottenham are yet to see a return on that investment, with a poor start to the season leading to more questions being asked than answers being given on the pitch.

But no sooner has the ink dried on the contracts for those new signings, than Tottenham are making plans for future expenditure too.

According to football.london's Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold, the Lewis Family have now invested another £120million into the club, meaning they have ploughed £320million into the Lilywhites in the last 12 months.

That has certainly helped De Zerbi when it comes to revolutionising his squad, and the head coach will already be making plans for how to spend the next wedge of cash at his disposal.

Spurs don't have many attacking choices at the moment

Tottenham have yet to score a goal in the Premier League this season, firing blanks in each of their first four games so far. They have had the second least number of shots on target so far this season, with 12.

That is down to a variety of factors, with the key creative trio of Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison hardly being available, with Maddison the only one of the three to play any minutes and he has only managed 35 of a possible 360.

Mohammed Kudus is only just working his way back to full fitness, while Savio is finding his feet at a new club, following his move from Manchester City.

Spurs' attacking options

The same can be said for striker Omar Marmoush, with fellow striker Dominic Solanke also working his way back to full fitness too. Richarlison has not even been named in the club's 25-man Premier League squad, following a fallout with De Zerbi.

Spurs may have spent more than £300million in the transfer window, but they are severely lacking in that striker department and an injury to one of Marmoush or Solanke would leave them in real bother, with few options to change things during matches.

De Zerbi therefore knows that he must take the fresh £120million investment from the Lewis Family and go all out for a striker in the January transfer window.

Spurs worked quickly and effectively behind the scenes to improve De Zerbi's defence and midfield early in the summer transfer window, leaving the forward line a bit later, which could explain the problems the side is having in front of goal.

But with Richarlison looking for a way out, it was only one in one out when it came to strikers, with Marmoush's arrival. The rest of the forward line work was done in wide areas.

Spurs need another out-and-out striker and for £120million they could have their pick in what is always an inflated winter market.

The Lilywhites were linked with Victor Osimhen in the summer window, and he would eat up a fair chunk of that three-figure investment should they go after him in January. Samu Aghehowa is another who has been linked with a move to north London and at five years Osimhen's junior would represent better value for money. Christian Kofane and Fisnik Asllani are two other names who have been previously linked with Spurs.

And then there's a certain Harry Kane, whose contract at Bayern Munich runs out next summer, with no sign yet of a new deal being agreed. To have any chance of tying up such a deal for the Tottenham legend, De Zerbi would have to guide the north Londoners into the UEFA Champions League, something which is a far cry after four games without a win.

It was another disappointing result for Tottenham Hotspur as they exited the Carabao Cup at the third round stage on Tuesday night, losing 3-1 to fellow Premier League side Liverpool.

There were, however, some reasons to be cheerful for the supporters, finally seeing their team score a goal against Premier League opposition this season and some moments of Roberto De Zerbi ball that has hardly been seen so far in 2026/27.

Superb strikes from Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai did the damage, with a Conor Gallagher header from a corner giving Spurs brief hope of a comeback after being 2-0 down.

Much like against Everton at the weekend, Tottenham started brightly and had more of the ball and the chances in the opening exchanges, until Liverpool hit the front, stunting Spurs' attacking output.

A second home goal spurred Tottenham into life in the second period, and there was hoep of a comeback with some neat passages of play and further chances until Szoboszlai's stunner sent them crashing out.

It will give De Zerbi and the supporters hope for the coming weeks, but it was a case of the same old story for Spurs. Here is our report card for the Tottenham players on the night.

New signing has a torrid time

Martin Dubravka - B-

A full debut for the Slovakian and he could do very little with any of the goals, as Mac Allister, Gakpo and Szoboszlai all found the top corner.

Was clearly asked to play out from the back to his centre-backs and defensive midfielders and did so, although it did not always look easy on the eye and there were some hair-raising moments with Liverpool's high press.

Archie Gray - D

Playing at right-back again and with the captain's armband on again, this was not one of the youngster's best performances.

Up against an in-form Cody Gakpo, he struggled and then was turned far too easily late on by substitute Alexander Isak.

Marcos Senesi - D

Looked every bit the rusty centre-back that he is. He has not had many chances this season and it showed with some poor calls on the ball and some odd decision-making off it.

He will surely get better, given how he performed at Bournemouth, but this one will not live long in the memory for him. Must do better.

Tosin Adarabioyo - C-

Looked reasonably steady for a back-up centre-back, although there were some dodgy moments where he stood off, offering Liverpool players a bit too much room and played his team into massive trouble with an errant pass when playing out from the back that the home side really ought to have capitalised on.

Showed his tenacity by regularly having his teammates' backs in duels and challenging the referee over decisions.

Destiny Udogie - C

Looked bright in the first half, teeing up Bergvall for a great chance and getting down the left-hand side on a regular basis.

He is another who will benefit from the minutes in his legs, following a torrid time with injuries. A Spurs team with Udogie at 100% is a better team.

Rodrigo Bentancur - C-

The Uruguayan has had a strong start to the season, showing what Spurs have missed in the middle of the park when he has been injured, but this was not his best night.

Earned a booking in the first half and was perhaps fortunate not to get a second one in the second half. Was hooked soon after. he will have better days.

Lucas Bergvall - B

Make no bones about it, he should have scored in the first half and put Tottenham 1-0 up with a glorious chance in front of goal, but his effort was too close to Giorgi Mamardashvili, giving the Georgian the opportunity to make the save.

However, after coming in for criticism in the opening game of the season, the youngster showed he has what it takes to bounce back and was one of Spurs' brightest stars on the night, looking to get on the front foot and move through the midfield with the ball at his feet. Keep it up.

Mohammed Kudus - C

His first start since the first week of 2026 and how Spurs have missed him.

His rustiness showed, with the Ghanaian unable to make too much of an impact on the night, but he will benefit from that run out and get better as the weeks go on.

Tottenham fans have their own pantomime villain

Conor Gallagher - C+

Someone who does not exactly get the fans' juices flowing, but will always give it his all. He huffs and puffs around the pitch and some things look really good, but other times he just gives the ball away in promising situations.

Scored the goal, Spurs' first against Premier League opposition this season, from a corner and gets marked up for that.

Mathys Tel - D

The Frenchman appears to be the one that the fans' ire is aimed towards at the moment, with a feeling that Spurs can do much better on the left-hand side.

He has had to play regularly because of the lack of options and was more often than not Spurs brightest attacking outlet in a dire second half of last season. He has started the season brightly, while the team has struggled, but end product is sorely lacking. See the teacher.

Omar Marmoush - C+

Struggled to make any impact on the game whatsoever in the first half and you could be forgiven for forgetting he was on the pitch. However, De Zerbi's words at the half-time interval must have stung as he sprang into life, showing some nice touches and making a few marauding runs.

If Tottenham can get someone creative in behind him - cough, Maddison, cough - then Marmoush may just shine in the Lilywhite shirt. Keep it up.

Substitutes

Andy Robertson - B-

Got a huge ovation from the Liverpool supporters on his return to Anfield and put in a good shift for Spurs, showing his clamness on the ball and getting Spurs immediately on the front foot on the left with some darting runs.

Mateus Fernandes - C

Should probably be starting week in, week out. He needs to be trusted in the midfield as he has the ability to get on the ball and start attacking moves from scratch.

Savio - B-

Give him the ball and he will run with it. It might not always come off, but he wants to attack his full-back all the time. Should have scored when he barged his way through into the box but his right-foot shot was awry.

James Maddison - B

How Spurs have missed the Englishman. That bit of nous, courage and ability to break the lines has been sorely missing. This was a good cameo and De Zerbi will be hoping to call upon him more and more in the coming weeks.

Dominic Solanke - C

Hardly touched the ball in six minutes on the pitch. Did not have time to make any impact.