Paul Gascoigne Predicted Tottenham Struggles Due to Over-Comfort
Former midfielder points to an 'everything on a plate' environment as a reason for the club's poor start to the season.
Former Tottenham midfielder Paul Gascoigne stated he anticipated the club's current struggles, citing a perceived lack of necessity for players to fight for their success.
Tottenham are currently at the bottom of the Premier League table, having failed to secure a win in their first five matches. This marks their worst-ever start to a top-flight campaign, with only two points from a possible 15. The team's slump follows a summer transfer window where over £300 million was spent on rebuilding the squad.
Gascoigne, who played over 100 times for Tottenham, shared his perspective with talkSPORT. "Last season was incredible. I went to their training ground; it was unbelievable. And straight away in my head, I thought, 'They are going to struggle'," he said. He elaborated, "Because everything is on a plate for them; when I played, the stuff and equipment we had. Everything is on a plate for them, but they have got to buck their ideas up."
Despite the team's on-field difficulties, Gascoigne acknowledged the historical support of the fans, adding, "The fans were fantastic when I was there, so they've got to do better this season."
Manager Roberto De Zerbi expressed deep disappointment following a recent defeat, particularly criticizing his team's defensive "fragility." He lamented the manner in which opponents scored, calling the second goal "unacceptable."
"I was very disappointed, very sad, very frustrated with the performance," De Zerbi fumed. "We can’t lose this game in this way, absolutely. We can’t concede the second goal. We can’t lose balance."
He recounted speaking to his attacking players at the start of the second half, urging them to "use their heads, be calm" and "play, enjoy, don't take risks." The conceded goal, he noted, was "incredible."
De Zerbi also addressed conceding the opening goal while the team was a player down due to Micky van de Ven receiving treatment for a facial injury. "My focus is on why we concede the first goal with 10 players, just for one minute in that situation," he stated. "We can stay stronger, we can communicate more, we can defend in a compact way."