It’s when the Premier League enters its first international break of the season that the table starts to take shape, and people can take stock and see what it looks like for all 20 top clubs in the Premier League.
This international break is longer than usual, as the September and October breaks have been combined into one instead of two stops – meaning no domestic football will be played for three weeks.
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And for Tottenham Hotspur, the Premier League table is not pleasant reading. After the Super Sunday clash between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage, Spurs go into a three-week break at the very end, in an embarrassing 20th place.
After two straight 17th places in the top division, it looked like things couldn’t get much worse for the Lilywhites. But that hasn’t been the case.
Spurs supporters now have three full weeks to avoid looking at the table in newspapers, online or on mobile, while Spurs look up at every other Premier League team above them.
Played five, won nil, drew two, lost three. Two goals scored, eight conceded. That’s the horrendous statistic of Roberto De Zerbi’s side so far this season.
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Should De Zerbi be sacked by Spurs?
The miserable start to the season has already led to questions about Roberto De Zerbi’s position at the club – that’s how reactive Premier League football is in 2026.
Tottenham did something the supporters have not been used to in the summer transfer window: they back a manager with huge investments in the squad. De Zerbi was given the means to transform an ailing squad, put his own stamp on the dressing room in N17 and bring in the players he wanted to change things.
Bottom of the table
| Teams | K | S | U | T | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 4 |
| Bournemouth | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| Coventry | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -9 | 3 |
| Fulham | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 2 |
| Tottenham | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -6 | 2 |
Spurs spent over £300 million on ten new signings in the summer transfer window, while De Zerbi allowed 17 players to leave north London. It was a huge change.
Such an upheaval requires patience as players get used to a new environment and a new way of playing. But how much patience do fans – and owners have?
Reports suggest that De Zerbi is currently in no danger of losing his job. Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday that the Lewis family still have confidence that the Italian can turn things around.
“Tottenham decided to back Roberto De Zerbi in the summer by trusting his ideas,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“So the message from Tottenham, as of today, is still a message of confidence in Roberto De Zerbi.
“At the moment, I have no indication that Tottenham are exploring other avenues. I am told that Tottenham still believe in the manager. I am told that Tottenham knew this would take time.”
Sacking the manager five games into the new season, after giving him the keys to the kingdom, would be sheer madness. There have been moments to be positive about in De Zerbi’s football, but there are also signs of concern – not least the lack of goals at one end and the concedings at the other. Spurs are a team in deep crisis right now, but had they taken advantage of their early dominance against Everton and then Aston Villa, things would have been very different.
De Zerbi is now saying goodbye to his greatest players for a few weeks, with the international break setting in. The Italian said that it may not be a bad thing that they have all gone their separate ways, given the situation they find themselves in.
For Spurs to drop to the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time since 2009 is a humiliation, no matter how early in the season it is. And De Zerbi has a huge task ahead of him to turn around the club’s fate.
After all: the only way is up.
