Tottenham’s heavy investment this summer has so far failed to make them even remotely better.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side slipped to another defeat on Saturday, losing 2-0 at home to Newcastle. Anthony Elanga’s early goal and Yoane Wissa’s second-half strike condemned Spurs to a miserable start to the season, leaving the new manager facing familiar questions.

The statistics tell a damning story. Since beating Aston Villa 4-1 in late 2024, Tottenham have gone behind 44 times in all competitions and failed to come back to win a single one of those matches. That statistic underlines a chronic fragility that has survived a change of coach, a new leadership structure and more than £300 million spent on new players.

Newcastle, missing several key figures, simply competed harder, won the second balls and waited for Tottenham’s neuroses to surface. Elanga’s opener was a perfect example: an unpressed long ball, a soft challenge, and a calm finish. No individual disaster, just a collection of small, costly failures.

There is talent at the club. Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes looked sharp, Omar Marmoush made a lively debut, and more creative options are still to come. Yet the individuals were never the real issue. The problem remains structural: a team that still lacks the collective hardness and clarity required to turn promising moments into consistent results.

De Zerbi faces a major task. Buying players is the easy part. Growing a spine and giving this Tottenham side a clear identity will take considerably longer. For now, the club that never stops panicking is once again staring at the same old problems.