Nottingham Forest head into their upcoming fixture still searching for their first victory under the stewardship of Oliver Glasner, though there are signs of life beneath the surface.
While the results column hasn’t completely flipped in their favor yet, performances have offered plenty of encouragement particularly a hard-fought display that warranted more against Leeds, followed by a resilient defensive effort to grind out a draw away at Liverpool.
Yet, the spotlight burns just as brightly on the opposition dugout, where Roberto De Zerbi’s start to life at Tottenham Hotspur has raised serious eyebrows. It hasn’t merely been the lack of results that has caused concern in north London, but the alarming manner in which they have materialised.
When De Zerbi first burst onto the Premier League scene with Brighton, he forged a vibrant, fearless outfit almost overnight. Even amidst the inevitable defensive hiccups born from playing out from the back, his teams were thrilling, cohesive, and possessed a distinct identity that supporters could instantly latch onto.
At Spurs, however, the picture is entirely different. Despite massive financial backing and an expensively assembled squad, this Tottenham team remains an enigma. Weeks into the campaign, it is genuinely difficult to pinpoint what De Zerbi’s Spurs are actually trying to be.
The Italian manager has pointed the finger at a disjointed pre-season and a lack of full match fitness within his squad to explain their sluggish start. But in a league as unforgiving as the Premier League, that excuse rings hollow. Other clubs burdened by managerial changes and heavy summer recruitment have hit the ground running, looking far sharper and vastly more organized. Tottenham, by contrast, have produced a pair of remarkably insipid displays, leaving them sitting on zero points and without a single goal to their name.
Change is desperately needed, and sheer weight of numbers suggests Spurs cannot play this poorly indefinitely. They are overdue a sharp upturn in performance, which makes a trip to face Forest the ideal canvas to finally kickstart their season even if it only comes in the form of a hard-fought stalemate.
BBC 5live pundit Chris Sutton has stated pre match via BBC Sport
“Nottingham Forest are waiting for their first win under Oliver Glasner but I felt they were unlucky to lose against Leeds and also to only draw at Liverpool.
I have been very disappointed with Roberto de Zerbi’s Tottenham so far, however, and not just because of their poor results.
When he came in at Brighton, De Zerbi built an amazing team in a short space of time and they were great to watch even if they made a few mistakes along the way.
In contrast, we still don’t know what his Spurs team are about, even though they have spent an absolute fortune on players.
I think that’s on De Zerbi because, although new players take time to gel, his side have put in two really insipid performances so far.
He has put that down to the team not being fully fit and blamed their pre-season schedule, but they should still be doing much better than they are – with no points and no goals so far.
Other clubs, with new managers as well as lots of new players, look much more organised so it is not an excuse.
“Still, Spurs have surely got to improve soon, which is why I have got them down to pick up a first point here.”
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
Expect a cagey, hard-fought affair on Trentside as two managers desperate to ignite their campaigns square off, with neither side possessing the swagger required to completely break the deadlock.
