Spurs slow start continues, but signs of real progress flash with Marmoush, Fernandes, Van Hecke in full flow

Tottenham Hotspur are yet to win a game or score a goal this Premier League season, however Spurs fan should take away from Saturday's 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle a renewed sense of optimism and hope with Roberto De Zerbi now fully in charge. SPURS 0-2 NEWCASTLE — Recap & highlights | Newcastle’s hot start | Marmoush the main man After finishing 17th in back-to-back seasons, it would be all too easy to look at the state of Spurs after two games and assume that not much has changed despite another new manager and another few hundred million dollars spent on players. Problems playing out of the back persist early There were a few hairy moments in the opening 20 minutes when Spurs tried to pass their way out of the back, as is to be expected in the second game of the season. Newcastle were very aggressive with an initial counter-press, pushing Spurs 15, 20, sometimes even 30 or 40 yards backwards before falling back and forcing the team with the ball to make the first move. Brentford did something similar last weekend, and Spurs are likely to see some variation of that same approach all season. Spurs eventually found their way forward, most successfully through Jan Paul van Hecke's incisive, line-breaking passes into midfield. He found Omar Marmoush dropping in once or twice, but usually it was a low, stinging pass to the feet of Mateus Fernandes or Sandro Tonali, who quickly got rid of it with just one or two touches and away Spurs went into the open field. That is, to oversimplify and dumb it down, what De Zerbi's system is all about. The patterns of play were clear as day and the players showed they are more than capable of executing in the defensive and middle thirds, which wasn't necessarily always the case under previous managers. The final third is a different story altogether, though, as is to be expected with attacking signings not arriving until late in the transfer window. That puzzle should come together with a bit more time and one or two key players coming back to full fitness, but it all become a lot easier when you have the right man up top… Marmoush a fantastic fit at forward All due respect (and then some) to Pep Guardiola, but how was this guy just not playing for Manchester City? We all remember the stunning goals he scored immediately upon his PL arrival in January 2025, but the most impressive part of his performance on Saturday was everything he did playing as the lone striker. His touch in tight spaces is silky — not just to control and keep the ball, but more importantly the way he maneuvers his his body to open up space for a teammate to run into. He's plenty strong to hold off a defender on his backside like a no. 9, but then he shows a burst of pace to turn and leave said defender standing still like a winger. In De Zerbi's system, the center forward has to be just as dangerous outside the box as they are in it. Marmoush couldn't fit any better. As a long-suffering Spurs fan, it's really hard to not get excited just thinking about Savio and Mohammed Kudus, the explosive dribbly boys, beating their men one-on-one and pulling center backs away from Marmoush as they surge into the penalty area. If Marmoush stays healthy this season (always a mandatory disclaimer with Spurs), he will bag 15 to 18 goals with ease. All in all, De Zerbi's Spurs project is moving in the right direction but certain parts remain works very, very, very much in progress.