Tottenham’s miserable start faces another stern test when Coventry City visit north London on Monday night.
Roberto De Zerbi is still searching for his first Premier League victory of the season, having collected just three points from six matches, leaving them 19th, while their measly return of three goals explains why frustration is quickly growing.
The 1-1 draw at Man United last weekend provided some encouragement.
Tottenham fell behind after Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off, but Dominic Solanke’s late header rescued a point and offered a rare show of resistance.
Monday’s visitors will arrive with confidence, though.
Frank Lampard’s side have gathered six points since returning to the Premier League and have suddenly found form. Coventry followed a 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest by beating Newcastle 4-1, giving them reason to be positive against a vulnerable-looking Tottenham side.
Tottenham’s last five meetings with Coventry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Date | Fixture | Result | Competition |
18 September 2024 | Coventry City vs Tottenham | 1–2 | League Cup |
5 January 2013 | Coventry City vs Tottenham | 0–3 | FA Cup |
24 September 2003 | Coventry City vs Tottenham | 0–3 | League Cup |
16 January 2002 | Coventry City vs Tottenham | 0–2 | FA Cup |
17 March 2001 | Tottenham vs Coventry City | 3–0 | Premier League |
De Zerbi used the gap between fixtures to take his squad to Marbella for a warm weather training camp, with the idea to improve fitness, tactical understanding and relationships following a major summer rebuild.
However, Duncan Ferguson believes the timing of that decision was horribly wrong.
Duncan Ferguson brands Tottenham decision ‘ridiculous’ before Coventry clash
Speaking on The Overlap, the Everton great questioned why Tottenham’s players were sent away again so soon after returning from international duty.
“I thought that was ridiculous, and I’ll tell you why,” Ferguson said.
“They’ve just been away on an international break for three, four weeks, away from their families. They come back and then they go away again, unless they took all their families with them.
“We did it back in the day. We went to La Manga, and there was murder because everybody went on a night out to the nightclubs.
“It has been done before, so I’m not saying the game’s gone in general. But you shouldn’t be going on a warm-weather break after they’ve just been away on warm-weather training with their international teams.
“I thought that was a bad, bad move from the manager at Tottenham. If the club had a few quid, and it wasn’t straight after an international break, I think I would take a team. You could do that.”
Ferguson’s criticism concerns the timing rather than the value of taking a squad abroad.
A camp can give coaches longer sessions and help players connect away from their usual routine, and that may have appealed to De Zerbi after Tottenham added several new faces during an expensive summer window.
If Spurs look sharper and more united against Coventry, De Zerbi can argue the trip achieved its purpose. If they remain slow, disjointed and wasteful, the Marbella decision will invite even more scrutiny.
Spurs are winless, struggling to score and already behind rivals after one of their worst starts to a Premier League season.
Coventry now represent a dangerous opponent rather than a comfortable opportunity to recover, and De Zerbi needs Tottenham to show the determination displayed with 10 men at Old Trafford, but with far greater control and quality in possession.
Source: www.footballfancast.com
