Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham says he remains confident Roberto De Zerbi can reverse the club’s fortunes after Spurs made their worst start to a Premier League season following five games.
Tottenham’s 3-2 home defeat by Aston Villa before the extended international break left them bottom of the table with two points and a goal difference of -6. Their previous worst five-game start was in 2008-09, when they had two points and a -3 goal difference.
De Zerbi has overseen a major squad overhaul since arriving, with Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke among the players brought in during a busy summer on and off the pitch.
Speaking at a Fan Advisory Board meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Venkatesham said the changes would require time to have their full effect.
“The club had made significant changes over the summer, both on and off the pitch, and we recognised that these might take time to take full effect,” the minutes of the meeting said.
“[Venkatesham] expressed confidence in Roberto De Zerbi, in the players brought in and in the changes made, noting the considerable work under way behind the scenes.”
Spurs travel to Old Trafford on Saturday to face Manchester United, where Michael Carrick is also under pressure after an indifferent start.
De Zerbi won his only previous Premier League away match against United, guiding Brighton to a 3-1 victory in September 2023. Only Sam Allardyce, Ronald Koeman, Pep Guardiola and Andoni Iraola have won their first two away visits to Old Trafford in the competition.
United are 12th after needing a late equaliser from Matheus Cunha to draw 1-1 with Fulham. They are averaging one point per Premier League game under Carrick this season, compared with 2.3 points per game across his 17 league matches last season.
The draw at Craven Cottage means United have taken five points from five games, their joint-lowest total at this stage of a Premier League campaign, matching 2014-15.
Carrick will be without several players who withdrew from international duty because of injury, including Benjamin Sesko, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Karl Darlow.
“I have always played for Slovenia and will always play with heart and pride. The most important thing now is to fully dedicate myself to recovery,” Sesko wrote on Instagram.
“I am already working on getting back on the field as soon as possible and helping the national team and the club again.”
Players to watch
Bryan Mbeumo has scored twice in five Premier League appearances for Manchester United and has been involved in seven goals in his past six league matches against Spurs, with six goals and one assist. He scored home and away against them last season.
Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus has played only 123 Premier League minutes this season but ranks fourth for successful take-ons, with a 58.8% rate from 10 of 17 attempts. Since the start of last season, he is second among Spurs players for goal involvements per 90 minutes, at 0.43 from a minimum of 900 minutes.
Match prediction: Manchester United win
United won this fixture 2-0 in February, ending a six-game winless run against Spurs in the Premier League, comprising three draws and three defeats. They have since gone three league matches without a win, drawing two and losing one; their last four-game winless run came in May 2025 during an eight-match sequence featuring two draws and six losses.
United rank first for shots this season with 113 and fourth for expected goals with 9.89, but their expected goals per shot of 0.088 is the division’s fourth-worst ratio, ahead of only Hull City, Nottingham Forest and Spurs.
Tottenham have lost 25 Premier League away games at United, with only Everton losing more away matches against one opponent, at Arsenal with 26. Spurs are also without a win in their past 37 matches in which they conceded first, drawing eight and losing 29. Their longer run was 38 games between September 1996 and August 1998.
They have failed to win any of their opening six league matches only in 1912-13, 2008-09 and 1955-56. Among clubs ever-present in the Premier League in 2026, Spurs have collected the fewest points, with 18.
Opta win probability: Manchester United 54.1%, draw 23.6%, Tottenham 22.3%.
