No wins and no goals - how concerned should Spurs be over PL start? — SkimNews
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- Tottenham have made their worst league start since 2008, going winless and goalless through three Premier League games despite a £332m summer outlay that brought in 10 new players
- Spurs drew 0-0 at Nottingham Forest last weekend, failing to register a shot on target for the first time in a league game in over four years
- Tottenham rank bottom for expected goals (xG) per shot this season and third lowest for overall xG, with only Coventry underperforming their chances more
- Roberto De Zerbi has started three different attacking combinations and used 10 different starters across his front three in 10 league games in charge, with Spurs making eight changes to their starting XI — the most of any side
- Spurs have been outrun in every game this season, ranking second-bottom for distance covered and 16th for sprinting distance, having been outrun just once in De Zerbi's seven games last season
- Tottenham host Everton on Saturday, and a clean sheet for the visitors would see Spurs fail to score in their first four league games of a season for the first time ever
- Michael Bridge of Sky Sports News says he is not concerned, noting it is "only three games" and that "if it wasn't for De Zerbi, there'd have been a very high chance Tottenham would be in the Championship right now"
Why it matters: The early metrics point to structural rather than chance-based problems: Spurs are bottom for xG per shot while mid-table for shots attempted, have been outrun every match, and have churned through 10 front-three starters. With Champions League qualification the implicit target after £332m of spending, patience for a side missing Kudus, Maddison and Kulusevski will wear thin quickly if Saturday's visit from Everton extends the goalless run.
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