When Aston Villa went 1-0 up in north London, it felt inevitable that Tottenham would head into the international break winless in the Premier League. It has been nearly two years since Spurs have won a match after conceding the opening goal in any competition. Last month's 3-2 home loss to Villa was the 47th game in this dismal run (D11 L36).
"It is a worry, certainly at home because that's where you need the minerals," former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood told a special Sky Sports Spurs podcast. "That's where you need the characters and leaders to come forward, and at the moment, they're void of any leaders and characters."
Sherwood said he was not sure anyone was losing their head or galvanising the players to arrest the slide, calling it a poor trend in not fighting back from losing positions. "The manager is. He certainly looks like he doesn't lack in any passion," he added, but argued that passion must be shown on the pitch, in the dressing room and on the training ground every day.
Sky Sports News' Tottenham reporter Michael Bridge shared similar concerns about leadership. With Spurs accumulating the fewest points (18) among ever-present Premier League sides in 2026, Bridge questioned the captaincy group chosen by Roberto De Zerbi, noting that Andy Robertson was not among the five captains. He also wondered how many players would be prepared to grab each other by the scruff of the neck.
Sherwood was also unimpressed by the summer signings. Of the 10 new players costing over £330m, he said no one had impressed him, adding that the team had underachieved. He said Tottenham's recent recruitment track record had not been fantastic, and that it had been a long time since the club made a decent signing.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing