Roberto De Zerbi arrived at Tottenham as one of the most tactically admired coaches in European football. Spurs then spent £320m in a single transfer window to back him. And after two Premier League games, they sit bottom of the table without a goal to their name.
Jack Pendleton has been watching closely. And while the football world largely maintains faith in the De Zerbi project, the BettingTips4You.com analyst thinks some of that faith deserves to be examined.
We sat down with Pendleton for his unfiltered take on what’s gone wrong, what could still go right, and where he expects Tottenham Hotspur to finish this season.
Q: Jack, two games in, bottom of the table, no goals. What’s actually going on at Spurs?
It’s uncomfortable viewing, but I don’t think it’s entirely surprising if you strip away the summer optimism. Tottenham finished 17th in each of the last two seasons. That’s not a blip — that’s a structural problem with the club’s mentality and cohesion. De Zerbi came in, they’ve spent enormous money, and yet the Forbes piece published this weekend described them as playing with “the same lethargy and lack of cohesion as last season.” That’s damning. And it’s not a hostile source — it’s a straightforward football observation.
De Zerbi himself said after the Newcastle defeat that mentality is his biggest challenge. I think that’s the most honest thing a manager can say two games into a new season. The question is whether honesty is enough.
Q: But De Zerbi is one of the most respected coaches in the game. Brighton, Shakhtar — he has a track record. Aren’t you being too quick to judge?
Absolutely, and I want to be fair to him. His reputation is earned. The problem isn’t his coaching ability — it’s the expectation that has formed around it. Spurs fans, and a lot of pundits, seem to assume that De Zerbi’s arrival plus £320m automatically equals a top-half season. That’s a significant leap. He’s working with five new starters against Newcastle, more signings reportedly still coming in, and a squad that spent two seasons in survival mode. That kind of psychological residue doesn’t disappear because you’ve brought in Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
Q: What specifically makes you question the level of expectation?
The scale of the rebuild, mostly. Five summer signings started against Newcastle. Reports suggest Iliman Ndiaye is close to joining from Everton, with Kenny Tete from Fulham also on the radar. That’s not a settled squad — that’s a construction site. Jamie Redknapp compared it to a jigsaw puzzle on Saturday night, and that’s actually the right analogy. De Zerbi is trying to figure out who his best three midfielders are while simultaneously integrating players from different clubs, different systems, different cultures.
There’s also the mentality point De Zerbi raised himself. He said — and I think this is worth quoting directly — “you can’t buy the mentality in the transfer market.” If that’s true, and I believe it is, then the £320m only solves part of the problem. The rest is psychological work, and that takes time Spurs may not feel they have.
Q: Jamie Carragher said the start “couldn’t have gone any worse.” Is that fair, or is there something to build on?
It’s fair as a headline assessment. But if you watch the Newcastle game, Spurs were actually the better side for long stretches before Anthony Elanga scored midway through the second half. De Zerbi said he was disappointed with the result but not necessarily the performance. That’s not spin — there’s something in it. The problem is that Tottenham’s Premier League coverage this season doesn’t give them credit for being competitive in defeat. The table only shows two losses and no goals.
Carragher did also say he expects more signings before the window closes, and that the quality is there in players like Tonali and Fernandes. So his criticism is of the situation, not necessarily of the long-term project.
Q: Is there a danger you’re underestimating how much better this squad could become once it settles?
Yes, genuinely. And I hold that possibility open. Savinho scored twice on his Spurs debut against Charlton in the EFL Cup. Marmoush is a quality player who was effective at City. Van Hecke looked composed on the ball against Newcastle according to Carragher. If De Zerbi gets four or five weeks of settled training, builds the right connections between these players, and lands another signing or two before the window shuts — this team could look very different by October.
My scepticism isn’t about the talent. It’s about the timeline. When you have this many variables, a fast start is almost impossible. And in a league where results compound quickly, a slow start matters.
Q: What could go badly wrong for Spurs this season?
The obvious risk is that the mentality problem De Zerbi identified isn’t just a transitional issue — it’s embedded. Two 17th-place finishes don’t happen by accident. There’s something culturally broken at the club that new signings and a new manager don’t automatically fix. If the results don’t turn quickly, the panic sets in, you start making reactive decisions in January, and suddenly you’re chasing safety again.
There’s also the question of leadership. Jamie Redknapp publicly criticised Micky Van de Ven after the Newcastle goal, saying the captain “jogged back” when Elanga was closing in. When your experienced players aren’t setting the standard, the new arrivals don’t know what the standard is.
Q: What would make De Zerbi’s appointment a genuine success?
A top-eight finish and a clear, visible identity in how Spurs play. If by January you can watch Tottenham and recognise a coherent tactical system — genuine pressing, creative build-up, clinical finishing — then the project is working even if the position isn’t yet what fans hoped for. Top eight would be remarkable progress from back-to-back 17th places. That’s the benchmark I’d use.
De Zerbi clearly believes this group has the quality. He said after Newcastle: “when we become a team, when we improve the connection between the players… this group, with me or with another coach, nothing changes, because they are two good players.” He’s got belief. What he needs now is results.
Q: Final question. Where do you actually expect Tottenham to finish in 2026/27, and what would prove you wrong?
Honestly? I’d say ninth to twelfth is the realistic range, with a lot depending on what happens in the next fortnight. If they bring in one or two more quality additions before the window closes — the Ndiaye deal looks close — and De Zerbi gets a win or two to settle nerves, I can see them pushing for seventh or eighth. That would be a significant achievement.
Success for me is anything above tenth and visible progress in how they play. Failure is getting dragged back into another relegation conversation by Christmas.
What would prove me wrong? Honestly, De Zerbi himself. If he finds the solution to that mentality problem faster than I expect — if the new players click quickly and the senior ones step up — then this squad has enough quality to finish fifth or sixth. Tonali and Fernandes are Premier League-level midfielders. Savinho and Marmoush can be devastating in the right system. De Zerbi has built that kind of cohesion before.
I just think people are expecting him to do it in weeks. I’d give him until December before drawing firm conclusions.
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