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De Zerbi won't talk to Spurs players after loss

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi urged senior squad members to take charge following a 3-2 home defeat against Aston Villa in north London. Strikes from Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson, and Emi Buendia gave the away side the advantage, rendering Spurs' subsequent pair of second-half goals—their initial tallies of the domestic league season—insufficient.

The result cements Tottenham's poorest opening to a Premier League calendar after five fixtures, leaving them with two points and a minus-6 goal differential to surpass the low mark set during 2008-09.

Manzambi struck just before the interval while defender Micky van de Ven was sidelined receiving care for a facial knock, leaving the hosts temporarily down a man. After Mohammed Kudus saw a potential leveler overturned by an offside ruling, Jackson widened the deficit directly following a goal kick.

De Zerbi expressed deep frustration with defensive lapses and breakdowns in team communication, lamenting that his tactical preparations regarding Villa's heavy reliance on long distribution failed to prevent costly errors.