De Zerbi Expresses Disappointment After Tottenham's Loss to Aston Villa

Roberto De Zerbi did not wait for the inquest. At full time, after watching his Tottenham side throw away another game, he went straight down the tunnel, leaving the boos to rain down behind him.

A 3-2 home defeat to Aston Villa sent Spurs into a three‑week international break still without a Premier League win and with only two points to show for their efforts. The numbers are bleak. De Zerbi’s mood matched them.

“I am very disappointed, sad and frustrated for the performance,” the Italian said. “We can’t lose the game in this way, we can’t concede the second goal, we can’t lose balance just because we are losing.”

This was not a manager searching for excuses. He went after his team’s mentality, questioned their physical condition and even admitted one of his own changes had backfired, saying substitute Mohammed Kudus had upset the balance of the side.

De Zerbi revealed he had tried to take control of the situation early in the second half. “I spoke with our four attackers in minute 51, I asked them to use their head, all second half I was telling people to be calm. But the second goal was incredible.”

That second Villa goal, scored by Jackson in the 67th minute, cut deepest. Jackson sprinted on to a long kick from the outstanding Zion Suzuki, punished static defending and turned the game. It was exactly the pattern Tottenham had been warned about.

“We knew this season Aston Villa are playing 86% more long balls than last season and we spoke in many meetings about it,” De Zerbi said. His frustration came not from surprise, but from the predictability of it all. Spurs had seen it on the clips, heard it in the meetings, and still switched off.

The story felt painfully familiar to their manager. “Now we have to explain another game like [the home defeat against] Newcastle where we played the first half well, got to 60 minutes OK, and then we lose.”

Tottenham had spells of control again, but when the game tilted, they lost their heads and their shape. De Zerbi did not spare the players, but he also did not offer them a rallying speech before they scattered for international duty.

“I didn’t speak with the players today because I didn’t want to say anything,” he admitted. “The players who go with the national team have to play and work and the others; for sure we have to work more because I didn’t like the finish to this game. We can’t say everything is bad, but it is not enough.”

Across the technical area, Unai Emery wore a very different expression. For him, this was a first league win of the season and, more than that, a performance that looked and felt like Aston Villa at their best: compact, committed, ruthless when it mattered.

“The players did well because they believed,” Emery said. His team had to endure long spells without the ball, but they embraced the grind.

“We needed to build a team that could play in this way, could defend with resilience and playing with passion when our opponents were attacking. We needed defenders, we needed the keeper, we needed everyone committed in that direction. We needed to feel strong first, then we could try to play with our structure and our ability. This is the competitive way.”

Villa left with their first Premier League victory of the campaign and a clear reminder of what has carried them this far under Emery. Tottenham left with questions about mentality, fitness and balance that will not disappear during a three‑week pause.

When they return, De Zerbi will expect answers.