De Zerbi Backs Tonali Amid Spurs Struggles
Roberto De Zerbi walked into the press room with a second straight league defeat hanging over him and a £100m midfielder under the microscope. He walked out having drawn a clear line in the sand.
Sandro Tonali, Spurs’ record signing and the supposed heartbeat of this new project, had just endured another bruising afternoon in North London. Tottenham lost 2-0 to Newcastle, and the Italian international found himself at the centre of the storm.
He had been rested in midweek, left out of the cup win over Charlton to sharpen his fitness. It didn’t show. Tonali looked short of rhythm, slow into duels, and was partly at fault for Anthony Elanga’s opener. When his number went up in the 75th minute, the cheers came from the away end, not his own supporters.
De Zerbi didn’t flinch.
No, I love Sandro Tonali.
He said afterwards, doubling down on the man many have already labelled his defining signing. He spoke with unusual emotion, framing this fragile early phase as something deeply personal. “Today is the day where my emotion for my players is bigger than the other days because we are building together the club, Vinai (Venkatesham), Johan Lange, the owners, me and they (the players) are like our children. So, this day is so sad. We are all of us very disappointed for the result, but I love my players more today than the next win we will make. I believe more than the Brentford game of our project, I believe in our players.”
This is not the language of a coach looking for a scapegoat. It is the language of a manager who knows the spotlight is about to intensify.
A £100m cornerstone still short of peak
The questions around Tonali are not going away. He played in pre-season against Chelsea, Getafe and Hoffenheim, yet still looks short of the tempo and authority expected of a midfielder with his pedigree and price tag.
De Zerbi did not pretend otherwise. He admitted Tonali is still some way from his top level, but made it clear his role in this Spurs rebuild is non-negotiable.
I think (Omar) Marmoush for the first game played very well,” De Zerbi explained, widening the lens to the broader squad integration. “It was the first game for Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, they came late and they are crucial for this team, after the World Cup, after two injuries. Sandro Tonali is another crucial player. He is not in the right condition, in the best condition yet, maybe physically.
This is the tightrope De Zerbi is walking. Several key players arrived late after international duty or injury layoffs. The tactical structure is new. The expectations are anything but.
Tonali is not just another signing; he is the symbol of the club’s ambition and spending power. Every misplaced pass, every heavy touch, is being weighed against that nine-figure fee.
Spurs crumble once the first punch lands
Tonali’s struggles, though, are only part of a deeper problem. The numbers behind Tottenham’s mentality are stark and damning.
Under De Zerbi, Spurs have lost every match in which they have conceded first. That fragility did not start with him, either. To find the last time they went behind in a Premier League game and still won, you have to go back nearly two years, to November 2024.
The pattern repeated itself the moment Elanga struck for Newcastle. Confidence drained. Spurs shrank.
De Zerbi did not sugarcoat it.
After the goal we conceded, I think we lost the confidence. The reaction was not good enough.
He admitted. “Not the reaction I want to see on the pitch and I said immediately after the end of the game, to the players, because when you are building something new, it’s tough, there are problems.”
The honesty was cutting. So was the implication: this isn’t just about tactics or fitness. It’s about what happens in the players’ heads the moment they take a punch.
Money spent, mentality unpaid
Two defeats from two in the league. A summer of heavy investment. A marquee midfielder yet to ignite. The pressure is already circling.
De Zerbi, though, is refusing to be dragged into short-term panic. He keeps returning to culture, to identity, to the idea that this version of Tottenham has to be built, not bought.
The club have paid the fees. They have brought in Tonali, Marmoush, Van de Ven, Porro and others to reshape the spine of the side. What they cannot simply sign off is the one thing their head coach keeps demanding.
You can’t buy winning mentality in the transfer market.
De Zerbi noted, underlining what he believes is missing most from his dressing room.
For now, he is choosing to shield his players, even as results and history start to close in. Tonali, in particular, remains under his arm, not under his bus.
The question is how long that protection can hold if Spurs keep folding the moment they fall behind.
