Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action on Monday night knowing that a first league victory of the season is becoming increasingly important, as Roberto De Zerbi prepares his side to face an in-form Coventry City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs have collected just three points from their opening six league matches, drawing three and losing three. Their latest outing brought a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United, where Dominic Solanke scored a stoppage-time equaliser after Tottenham had been reduced to 10 men.
Although the result offered some encouragement, Tottenham’s lack of goals remains a major concern. They have scored just three times in six league games, while their shot-conversion rate stands at only 3.6%, according to BBC Sport. The figures underline the difference between creating promising attacking situations and making them count.
The pressure on De Zerbi is therefore clear. Tottenham need to become more clinical in front of goal, particularly at home, where their recent Premier League record has been disappointing. BBC Sport reports that Spurs have won only five of their last 36 league matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the Italian.
De Zerbi, however, remains determined to build a team capable of producing consistent performances rather than abandoning his approach after a difficult start.
“The target is to build the team.”
The Tottenham manager made the comment while discussing the purpose of the club’s recent training camp in Marbella. He believes the squad has quality but needs to develop stronger relationships and a clearer collective identity.
“We are a great group of players, but we are not a team yet.”
To encourage that process, De Zerbi revealed that mobile phones were removed during breakfast, lunch and dinner so players could spend more time talking and getting to know one another.
“We removed phones from breakfast, lunch and dinner to stay together, and to speak because now it’s like (on the phone) all the time.”
The initiative reflects the manager’s belief that Tottenham’s difficulties cannot be addressed through tactical work alone. Better communication and a stronger sense of unity are also central to his plans as he attempts to turn the club’s start to the season around.
There is encouraging news on the injury front, with Dejan Kulusevski set to return to the matchday squad after being sidelined since May 2025. De Zerbi confirmed that the midfielder would be on the bench, describing his return as “great news”. His creativity could prove valuable as Spurs look for more attacking quality, although his long absence means his involvement is likely to be carefully managed.
Savio will miss the match after suffering a muscular problem, while Lucas Bergvall is also unavailable with a knee injury. Rodrigo Bentancur begins a three-match suspension following his dismissal against Manchester United. Tottenham will need to make the most of the players available if they are to secure a much-needed win.
Coventry arrive in north London with considerably more momentum. After losing their first four league matches, Frank Lampard’s side have responded with successive victories, beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 away before recording an emphatic 4-1 home win against Newcastle United.
The victory over Newcastle demonstrated the threat Coventry can pose when their attacking players find space and confidence. Jack Rudoni scored from the penalty spot, while Sidiki Cherif, Ellis Simms and Stephen Mfuni also found the net. The result has given the newly promoted side a timely boost ahead of their visit to Tottenham.
Lampard has nevertheless urged his players to keep improving rather than assume that recent results have solved all their problems.
“No performance is absolutely complete.”
Reflecting on the Newcastle victory, the Coventry manager also stressed that there was still considerable room for progress.
“There’s so much more that we can do and much more we can improve.”
His message suggests that Coventry will travel to London with confidence, but without losing sight of the work required to compete consistently in the Premier League. A third consecutive victory would represent a significant achievement after their difficult opening four matches.
Lampard has also recognised the quality within Tottenham’s squad and the challenge posed by De Zerbi’s footballing approach. However, Coventry’s recent performances should give them belief that they can trouble a home side still searching for its first league win.
Historically, Tottenham have enjoyed the better results in this fixture, including a 2-1 Carabao Cup victory in September 2024. Yet past meetings offer limited reassurance given the contrasting circumstances surrounding the two teams this time around.
For Spurs, the priority is to turn their promising spells of football into goals and finally give their supporters a league victory to celebrate. Coventry, meanwhile, will look to extend their winning run and demonstrate that their recovery is the beginning of a sustained improvement rather than a brief upturn in form.
With Tottenham under pressure to deliver and Coventry arriving with renewed belief, Monday night’s encounter could prove a defining early test for both sides.
