De Zerbi gives Spurs players silent treatment after defeat to Aston Villa

Spurs manager Robert De Zerbi said he "didn’t want to say anything" to his players after losing 3-2 at home to Aston Villa

Roberto De Zerbi: 'I was very disappointed, very sad, very frustrated for the performance because we can’t lose this game in this way.' Pic: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire.

Roberto De Zerbi refused to speak to his Tottenham players after they produced a dismal second-half display to collapse to a 3-2 home defeat against Aston Villa.

Both clubs had made slow starts to the new campaign after summer rebuilds and while Spurs had failed to score in four league fixtures, there had been green shoots in 0-0 draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton.

However, Tottenham will spend the international break in the relegation zone after they were booed off following another home loss.

Johan Manzambi put Villa ahead in unfortunate circumstances for the hosts with captain Micky van de Ven off the pitch getting treatment.

De Zerbi introduced Mohammed Kudus at the break for Mateus Fernandes, but it backfired and Villa gained a foothold in midfield, with Nicolas Jackson making it 2-0 in the 67th minute after he bamboozled first Jan Paul van Hecke and then Van de Ven.

Emi Buendia’s stunning long-range strike with 11 minutes left sent Spurs fans heading for the exit doors and even though Conor Gallagher and Van Hecke netted late on to break the club’s Premier League goal drought, De Zerbi’s expensively-assembled team lost again.

“I didn’t speak with the players today because I didn’t want to say anything,” De Zerbi revealed.

“I was very disappointed, very sad, very frustrated for the performance because we can’t lose this game in this way.

“We can’t concede the second goal. We can’t lose balance just because in the first half we are losing. In the beginning of the second half, I spoke with the four attackers, to use their heads, calm.

“It was minute 51. All second half, calm, calm, play, enjoy, don’t take risks and we take space or when we go in the last third, with more attention, but the goal we conceded, the second goal, was incredible.” De Zerbi pushed back on the notion the decision to take off Fernandes lost Spurs control in midfield.

He said: “No, I think no. This is not the problem. The problem is in the second half, we lost balance because we were losing. Just for that and we forced the pass.

“We forced the situation, we lost the ball and they were winning, Aston Villa, they played more in the counter-attack. OK, Mateus is different from Kudus. I have a big confidence in Mateus, but I didn’t like the performance of Mateus today.” De Zerbi will face scrutiny over the international break, but opposite number Unai Emery could toast a first win of the Premier League season at the fifth time of asking – which was also the case last season.

Emery said: “We are delighted with how the players respond to the game plan we started and how the players were feeling comfortable in the structure defensively and offensively, getting confidence individually through the game and that’s how we won the game.

“Of course Tottenham is Tottenham. It is still beating Tottenham. This coach is a fantastic coach. Now they are under expectation, but they are performing well.”