Roberto De Zerbi admits Tottenham are not yet a team as Spurs continue adapting to his system.
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi has delivered a brutally honest assessment of his squad’s current status, admitting that Spurs have not yet gelled into a cohesive unit. Speaking to the media, the Italian manager refused to establish specific targets or long-term goals for the Premier League campaign until his side establishes a clear collective identity.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano on X, De Zerbi laid out the harsh reality facing the North London club during his post-match address. The manager made it clear that setting expectations before achieving basic tactical cohesion is premature.
Addressing questions regarding season targets, De Zerbi stated:
“We are not a team yet. For a lot of reasons. Before the game, in the press conference, when you asked me what is the target, we can fix the target when you become a team. Before becoming a team, we can’t say what we can do.”
Why Tottenham Are Still a Work in Progress
De Zerbi’s candid admission reflects the ongoing transition across N17 this summer. Following last season’s high-pressure relegation fight, Tottenham have been forced to rebuild several fundamental areas of the squad simultaneously.
The departure of key leaders like goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to Juventus, combined with the integration of fresh signings like Marcos Senesi and prospective arrivals like Savinho, has left the squad in flux. Furthermore, incorporating young talents such as Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray into De Zerbi’s demanding tactical setup requires extensive training ground repetition. Without total positional understanding and collective synchronization, performances can easily unravel under Premier League pressure.
By publicly refusing to define artificial objectives, De Zerbi is shielding his players from unrealistic external demands while managing supporter expectations. The Italian tactician recognizes that setting targets like European qualification is meaningless if the group lacks fundamental tactical chemistry and resilience.
For De Zerbi, the primary goal remains building a collective identity rooted in courage, structure, and technical authority. Only when Tottenham consistently operate as a unified collective will the head coach establish concrete benchmarks for what this new side can achieve.
