Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has demanded more from centre‑forward Dominic Solanke after another disappointing display.
Spurs fell to their third defeat of the Premier League season in their clash against Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The 3-2 loss has sent Spurs into the bottom three after five matches this season, and the three-week international break will now feel more like three months for Lilywhites fans.
Tottenham, at the very least, managed to end their four‑match goal drought after finding the back of the net twice late on against Unai Emery’s men. But that will do little to paper over the cracks in N17.
Roberto De Zerbi demands more from Dominic Solanke after Tottenham defeat
However, the goals did not come from any of Spurs’ forwards, with Conor Gallagher tapping in from the six‑yard box and Jan Paul van Hecke grabbing a second following a Robertson free‑kick.
That would matter little if wins follow, but Roberto De Zerbi still wants more from his strikers. Following the game against Villa, the Spurs boss singled out Dominic Solanke and demanded more from the striker, who played 65 minutes and failed to register a shot on target.
He said when speaking to football.london: “We need more from him for sure but he is one of my players. I like Domi as a player and I stay with him until the end.
“He needs to feel better. His physical condition is not good enough. Maybe he is not good enough in the confidence at this moment but many, many things can be better than this moment. I think we can’t say everything is bad, but it’s not enough.”
Solanke struggling to make an impact for Spurs
Solanke is yet to get into any rhythm this season and has not had any real impact on games so far. Against Villa, the forward was handed a 6.4 FotMob match rating, and it is hard to argue against that given the numbers he put up.
Solanke did not manage any shots on target and had just 25 touches, with only four coming in the box. From your centre‑forward, that is simply not good enough.
| Stat | Performance |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 66 |
| Accurate passes | 14/15 (93%) |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Shots off target | 1 |
| Blocked shots | 1 |
| Shot accuracy | 0/1 (0%) |
| Touches in opposition box | 4 |
| Passes into final third | 1 |
| Dispossessed | 2 |