Tottenham Hotspur's dismal start to the Premier League season continued with a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday. The loss leaves Roberto De Zerbi's side rooted to the bottom of the table with zero points and a minus five goal difference after two matches.
Newcastle's Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa scored the goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in N17, securing a third consecutive away win for the Magpies at the ground. Spurs, who invested more than £350m on eight new players this summer, have failed to score in either of their opening fixtures and have conceded five times.
The club's significant summer investment has so far failed to translate into results on the pitch. The most expensive arrival, Sandro Tonali, was substituted during the Newcastle match to ironic cheers from the travelling fans after a tackle from Joe Willock. Another major signing, the £85m forward Savio, was ruled out of this match with muscle fatigue detected on Friday, though there is hope he could return for the next game.
Egypt international Omar Marmoush, who completed his move from Manchester City on Thursday, was thrown straight into the team. His arrival has reportedly made Richarlison surplus to requirements, with speculation the Brazilian could be used in a deal for Everton's Iliman Ndiaye. Richarlison was not in the squad for this match.
Captain Micky van de Ven made his first appearance since the World Cup, coming off the bench in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. He did not feature in pre-season and received a yellow card in this match. Defender Kevin Danso was not involved amid a reported loan bid from Sunderland.
De Zerbi deployed Pedro Porro in a more advanced right-wing role for the first 68 minutes. Substitute Dominic Solanke entered the fray but could not change the outcome. The team's struggles are starkly reflected in the standings, where they sit six points behind early leaders Manchester City.
Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek made first-half saves to deny Mathys Tel and Jan Paul van Hecke. Defender Lewis Hall produced a vital block, while Andy Robertson delivered a corner and new signing Nico Gonzalez made his debut in midfield. The decisive second goal came after substitute Nick Woltemade won a header in the build-up.
Brazil national team manager Carlo Ancelotti was an observer in the crowd, though there were no Brazilian players on the pitch during the game. The defeat extends a terrible home record from last season, where Spurs won only three of 19 games and lost ten.
The immediate focus shifts to halting this slide. The next fixture is an away trip to face Nottingham Forest, who are currently 13th, on September 5th. Finding a way to integrate the expensive new talent and start converting investment into points is the urgent task for De Zerbi and his staff.
Fans checking the fixtures will see a critical period ahead. The manager pointed to a slight improvement, noting that under him the team had won one and drawn two of three home games prior to this loss. Turning around the club's fortunes, however, requires a rapid solution to their scoring woes and defensive frailties.
