Former Arsenal midfielder and football pundit Paul Merson has expressed concern over Roberto De Zerbi’s public criticism of Tottenham Hotspur’s forwards and medical staff following the club’s goalless draw with Nottingham Forest.
Tottenham remain without a Premier League goal after their first three matches of the season. Their 0-0 draw at Forest on Saturday also saw Spurs fail to register a shot on target, increasing pressure on De Zerbi’s new-look squad.
After the match, De Zerbi admitted that Tottenham needed to improve their decision-making in the final third. The Italian manager also questioned the circumstances surrounding the substitutions of Savio and Destiny Udogie, who were withdrawn after around an hour following advice from the club’s medical staff.
Merson believes De Zerbi’s decision to discuss those issues publicly could become a concern if tensions develop behind the scenes.
The Sky Sports pundit argued that disagreements involving players and medical staff should generally be handled internally rather than discussed publicly. He also questioned why De Zerbi appeared to blame Tottenham’s forwards when the team had not created enough clear opportunities against Forest.
Despite the concerns, Merson believes Tottenham need to remain patient. The club underwent a major squad rebuild during the summer, spending heavily on new players, and De Zerbi is still trying to establish the right balance and chemistry within the team.
Tottenham’s immediate challenge is to end their scoring drought and turn their improved defensive organisation into positive results. The club will return to Premier League action against Everton on September 12, with De Zerbi hoping his side can finally find the breakthrough.
For Spurs, the coming weeks could be crucial as De Zerbi attempts to rebuild confidence, improve the attack and bring greater stability to a team that has made a difficult start to the new campaign.