$400M spent, zero points: Tottenham loses again in Premier League as Liverpool rescues another draw
Tottenham’s remarkable $400 million summer spending spree isn’t translating to any on-field success so far in the Premier League.
Two games. Zero points.
Indeed, big-spending Spurs are still searching for their first goal of the campaign after being beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle on Saturday, a week on from being ripped apart in a 3-0 loss at Brentford.
Five of Tottenham’s slew of new signings started the game - including Sandro Tonali, whose every touch was booed by the visiting fans after his $133 million departure from Newcastle, and Omar Marmoush, whose loan move from Manchester City was only finalized on Thursday. They made little impact as Tottenham was picked off in the second half, with Anthony Elanga swiveling in the penalty area and bending in a shot off the post in the 62nd minute and Yoane Wissa hooking home a clever finish from close range in the 72nd.
For Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi, creating the right mentality in a club coming off back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the 20-team Premier League is the “biggest challenge.” “Unfortunately,” the Italian said, “you can’t buy the mentality in the transfer market.” Spurs are one of three teams to have lost both of their games so far and it looks like it will take time for so many new players to gel. One of them, Savio, wasn’t in the squad for Saturday because of a muscle injury.
Not since the 1974-75 season has Tottenham lost its two opening matches of a league campaign without scoring.
“I am sorry to the fans for the environment,” De Zerbi said. “Because after two defeats, maybe somebody can think it’s the same story, the same as the last two seasons. I have no doubt it’s not like this.”
The Andoni Iraola era is yet to catch fire at Liverpool.
For the second straight weekend, Liverpool needed a late equalizer to rescue a point in the Premier League as summer signing Victor Munoz ‘s 82nd-minute strike earned a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
The Reds also drew 2-2 last week in Iraola’s first league match in charge - and on that occasion a stoppage-time penalty by Dominik Szoboszlai denied Newcastle.
There might be teething problems early in Iraola’s tenure - notably in defense, where Liverpool continue to look shaky - but at least there has been some fighting spirit.
Liverpool twice came from behind against Forest, with Alexander Isak scoring Liverpool’s first equalizer in the 60th to cancel out Dan Ndoye’s first-half goal.
Then, after Morgan Gibbs-White converted a penalty to regain the lead for the visitors, Munoz smashed in a shot off the crossbar after running onto a through-ball from Florian Wirtz.
