2 Questions Roberto De Zerbi Must Answer After Tottenham 0-0 Everton

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Does Solanke need more help? Or should he make way for ousted star? 🤔

Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham have extended their winless and goalless Premier League run to four matches in a disappointing 0-0 draw with Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a poor return given the near £400 million spent rebuilding the squad over the summer.

Spurs dominated large spells of possession but, once again, could not turn control into a cutting edge, leaving De Zerbi facing serious questions over his side's direction.

With the patience among fans wearing thin and scrutiny mounting on individuals across the pitch, this was a performance that raised more problems than it solved. Here's what still needs answering, and how their form can be fixed, after another frustrating evening in north London.

Four games, zero goals, a historically bad start that even an enormous summer outlay hasn't fixed. Dominic Solanke led the line in his first start of the season but never generated anything reminiscent of his Bournemouth days. Savio proved to be the main shining light in a poor result against Everton, but more end-product is required from the Brazilian before he's seen as any sort of talisman.

It makes for some grim reading for a handful of Spurs players.

One option is switching to two up front, with Omar Marmoush more than capable of playing as an out-and-out striker alongside Solanke rather than being confined to a wide role where his end product has gone missing.

It would also be worth De Zerbi revisiting the Richarlison situation. His proposed return to Brazil with Vasco da Gama has now collapsed, leaving him training with the under-21s and frozen out of the first-team picture, but he was Tottenham's top scorer last season and has previous experience thriving in a front two, having lined up alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin during their Everton days.

Reintegrating him alongside Solanke, rather than leaving him to rot in exile, could give Spurs a bigger presence and know-how that's currently missing up top.

Antonin Kinsky's afternoon summed up Tottenham's wider issues. His header off the line to deny Thierno Barry showed real shot stopping ability, but it was his blunder in possession, gifting Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall a clear one-on-one chance, that will stick in the memory. It was only him throwing himself in front of the resulting shot that spared his blushes. With scrutiny already falling on Tottenham's rearguard, De Zerbi would have been hoping for a string of games where the Czech goes error-free.

De Zerbi may need to simplify Kinsky's distribution instructions in the short term, encouraging safer, more direct passes and clearances under pressure, rather than the risky short build-up that led to his second half error. If the mistakes continue, Tottenham do have senior cover in Martin Dubravka, and a spell out of the side to rebuild confidence in training could be a sensible option if performances don't improve quickly.

Spurs have had some world-class players over the years.

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