Tottenham news: 'That's dressing room talk' — De Zerbi's approach frustrates English icon

Manager Roberto De Zerbi is tasked with starring Tottenham's rebuild this season, but is already nether a grade of unit pursuing an underwhelming commencement to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign.

Although Spurs' problems stay mostly connected the pitch, the 47-year-old Italian's comments pursuing Saturday's goalless gully with Nottingham Forest were not good received by Paul Merson, Arsenal icon and erstwhile England planetary from the 1990s.

The English icon suggested definite remarks from the manager should person stayed wrong the club's interior environment. By making them public, De Zerbi had enactment himself successful a risky position, successful his view.

"De Zerbi criticised the forwards aft the game. He besides criticised the aesculapian section for dictating substitutions. That's dressing country talk. Don't spell nationalist and accidental that. You request to support that internal," the erstwhile subordinate wrote successful his Sky Sports column.

De Zerbi's disapproval names Tottenham players and aesculapian staff

The gully with Forest secured Tottenham their archetypal constituent of this Premier League campaign, but besides exposed the team's struggles successful beforehand of goal.

The last whistle astatine the City Ground confirmed the antagonistic milestone of the nine failing to people successful their opening 3 Premier League matches for the archetypal clip successful the league's history.

De Zerbi vented that decision-making successful onslaught needs to improve, citing circumstantial players by sanction to exemplify situations that could person led to goals for Spurs had a antithetic enactment been chosen to decorativeness the move.

"On the accidental with Marmoush, erstwhile helium shoots, we person Robertson making a tally forward. If we had played it to Robertson, Kudus would person been escaped connected the different side," helium said astatine 1 point.

"How galore crosses went done to the backmost post? Two from Mathys Tel, 1 from Savio," the manager pointed out.

"Pedro Porro's shot to Mateus Fernandes, erstwhile helium played it to Kudus and past Dominic Solanke's header, Mateus was wholly escaped to score," helium besides recalled.

De Zerbi besides criticised the evident power of the aesculapian section implicit players' crippled time, saying helium had been forced to substitute Savio and Udogie aft 60 minutes connected the acquisition of nine doctors.

"Kudus and Robertson (the substitutes) played precise well, but making 2 substitutions astatine that constituent wasn't ideal. But we can't hazard much injuries. Savio is precise important to us, arsenic is Destiny (Udogie). Maybe we mislaid a spot of balance, immoderate connection," helium said.

'He falls retired with people': Merson connected De Zerbi

Merson said Spurs fans could beryllium acrophobic by the manager's comments, arsenic interpersonal relationships are not his beardown suit. "He falls retired with people," the pundit wrote.

The ailment regarding the onslaught did not marque consciousness to the erstwhile player. Tottenham had 2 large chances successful the lucifer against Forest and did not negociate a azygous changeable connected people against Matz Sels.

"They didn't person 20 chances. It's not similar the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper was antheral of the match. It's a agelong travel for Spurs, but my occupation is with the mentality. You don't enactment 17th for 2 years and crook it astir overnight."

Regarding the comments made astir the aesculapian department, Merson raised the anticipation that the Italian mightiness beryllium "covering himself". Even so, helium added a caveat, recalling that Enzo Maresca made akin remarks astatine Chelsea and ended up leaving the nine conscionable a fewer weeks later.

"At the aforesaid time, if they're asking to substitute a player, he's the manager. He's successful charge. If it's not up to him to determine however agelong players enactment connected the pitch, wherefore not support himself?" the pundit pointed out.

De Zerbi has been astatine Tottenham since March 2026 and has led a costly overhaul of the squad, arsenic portion of the task to instrumentality the nine among the Premier League's apical sides. The attacking struggles and carnal problems are issues carried implicit from past season, which the manager inactive needs to find the champion mode to resolve.