Sunderland handed Roberto De Zerbi his first defeat as Tottenham boss in his debut game.
There was new energy and optimism heading into the Sunderland game, with several members of the Tottenham Hotspur squad having raved about Roberto De Zerbi and his training sessions. Unfortunately, the mood turned sour somewhat when the North Londoners suffered yet another Premier League defeat.
Tottenham’s nightmare season reached a new low as Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge ended in a demoralising 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland. The result left Spurs 18th in the Premier League table and two points from safety, extending their winless run to 14 matches.
Roberto De Zerbi was hoping for a strong start in his first game as Tottenham boss, but Nordi Mukiele’s deflected left-footed shot in the second half proved to be the only goal of the game. This loss means that the Lilywhites are winless in their last 14 Premier League outings, having lost 9 of those and drawn 5. Staggeringly, they are yet to taste a league win in 2026. That sequence of five draws and nine losses is now the club’s second-longest run without a league victory, behind a 16-game streak from 1934-35.
Roberto De Zerbi gives verdict on Tottenham’s defeat to Sunderland
Spurs are in the relegation zone at the end of a matchday for the first time this season. Despite the problems grappling with the squad and a defeat in his very first game, De Zerbi insisted belief remains strong inside the dressing room. The Italian felt that his team played a good game and didn’t deserve to lose.
“I think we played a good game, not enough to win, but we didn’t deserve to lose. We have to accept and move on. We played a good game. We have enough quality to come out from this difficult moment. I’m sorry for the result, I’m sorry for the [Cristian] Romero injury, and I hope for us and for him that it is not important,” De Zerbi said in an interview with Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport).
“We had three or four clear chances to score. We can be better, especially at finding the play between the lines. We made two or three mistakes in the last 15 metres, and we have to move on into the next game.
“I spoke with the players five minutes ago, and I said that I understand it has been a very tough season. It is a tough moment for everyone and we have to react with the right spirit. The quality of the players are amazing.”
Tottenham were poor vs. Sunderland
Tottenham players deserve a lot of criticism for their performance against Sunderland. The energy, structure and combination play were noticeably better, but discipline remains a regular problem that cost the North London outfit dearly once again.
After a decent start to the game in Wearside, there were few positives for De Zerbi to take from the loss against the Black Cats, as the hosts arguably could have had more. As our gaffer said, the players must move on quickly and put full focus on the next game to try and win it.