De Zerbi Brands Tottenham His Most Fragile Team

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that his current side is the most fragile team he has encountered during his 14-year coaching career.

De Zerbi made the striking assessment after Spurs suffered a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa on September 19, extending their winless start to the Premier League season.

Speaking to talkSPORT after the match, the Italian said he had never seen a team like Tottenham during his time as a coach.

“So fragile, so inconsistent.”

De Zerbi was particularly frustrated by Tottenham's tendency to perform strongly for periods before losing control of matches.

The manager said Spurs could be “very good in the first 30, 40 minutes” before conceding in a manner he found difficult to accept.

Tottenham had started the campaign without a Premier League victory, collecting just two points from their opening five matches. The Villa defeat left them at the bottom of the table during the international break.

De Zerbi also questioned the team's communication and leadership.

“Maybe the communication between the players [is the problem], maybe the leaders have to be stronger,” he said, adding that Tottenham needed leaders capable of driving the team forward.

The manager had already raised concerns about confidence and mentality earlier in the season, but the Villa defeat prompted a much stronger assessment.

De Zerbi now faces the task of finding a solution during the international break before Tottenham return to Premier League action against Manchester United on October 10.