According to The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur drew 0-0 away to Nottingham Forest, securing their first league point and first clean sheet of the season. Based on statistics and on-field observations, this was a game Tottenham should have won, which in itself is progress.

In the 18th minute, Omar Marmoush raced towards Matz Sels' goal, seemingly seconds away from showcasing the attacking football Roberto De Zerbi promised to bring to Tottenham.

Tottenham's attack was quick and high-quality, typical of "De Zerbi-ball." After an excellent interchange, Pedro Porro appeared on the right flank. When Conor Gallagher vacated his position, Porro took over, cleverly chipped the ball over the Nottingham Forest defence, and into Marmoush's path. All signs indicated that Marmoush was about to break the deadlock.

However, his shot sailed inches wide of the post, and Tottenham missed their best chance of the match, losing much of the momentum they had built up early in the game at the City Ground. Tottenham started brightly but lacked cutting edge throughout.

The 0-0 result gave Tottenham their first league point of the season and their first clean sheet. But it also meant that Tottenham had failed to score a single goal in their first three league matches for the first time since 1974. This unwelcome record seems to contradict the Italian coach's reputation for building fluid attacking football.

At least De Zerbi and Tottenham left the City Ground with something to show for it. Thomas Frank and Ange Postecoglou had failed to do so on their previous visits to Nottingham. However, Tottenham's revamped attack, while showing flashes of promise, ultimately failed to convert their scoring opportunities.

Marmoush's chance was the best, but not the only one. In the second half, the Egyptian international again found himself with space in the Forest half and had an opportunity to pass to the overlapping Andy Robertson, who was loudly calling for his teammate's attention. If Marmoush had passed to his new teammate, perhaps the Scottish captain could have created another chance for Mohammed Kudus. But Marmoush chose to cut in from the edge of the box and blasted the ball high over the bar.

De Zerbi said in the post-match press conference: "If we had made the right decision and passed to Robertson, then Kudus would have been at the far post, and he would have scored." His words suggested that even without that option, the 26-year-old Marmoush should have had a clear chance to score.

Micky van de Ven and Richarlison also had good scoring opportunities. Van de Ven's chance came from a corner kick; Tottenham had 10 corners in total, but this was their only real threat from a set piece despite their dominance and possession.

Considering Tottenham were one of the best teams in the league for set pieces last season, their current lack of physicality and efficiency on set pieces is a clear regression. De Zerbi is still reshaping Tottenham according to his philosophy, and Tottenham came closer to his tactical principles at the City Ground today than ever before. As the team continues its transition, the high-intensity, physical football that kept them in the Premier League last season will naturally decrease.

Cristian Romero, who finished last season as starting centre-backs, have now been replaced by Van Hecke and another player. Van Hecke is technically gifted but lacks the physical presence of his predecessors. De Zerbi said that Sandro Tonali played "his best game so far" against Forest, replacing Palhinha in midfield. Tonali's midfield abilities are more well-rounded than the Portuguese international's, but Palhinha scored 5 league goals last season.

In fact, Tottenham have now lost their top three league goalscorers from last season: Romero with 4 goals, Palhinha with 5 goals, and Richarlison with 11 goals. After Richarlison informed the club he wished to leave, he was not included in Tottenham's Premier League squad. Today, Tottenham didn't manage a single shot on target.

When asked if Tottenham's lack of shots on target worried him, De Zerbi replied: "No, we could have scored three or four goals today. Because if you make the wrong decision, you can't score. But for me, it's still a scoring opportunity."

De Zerbi spoke at the press conference about the possibility of Marmoush scoring 12 to 15 goals for Tottenham this season, saying: "He believes he can too, because he has all the qualities." But as Tottenham navigate their transition, if they cannot rely on set-piece coach Andreas Georgson's creativity from corners, it weakens an important scoring avenue that served them well last season and was one of the main reasons they stayed in the Premier League.

While expectations for Tottenham this season are already slightly lower than before the first game, De Zerbi's journey to transform Tottenham into an entertaining and efficient Premier League side is still in its early stages. Tottenham kept a clean sheet, which is an achievement to build on after conceding 5 goals in their first two games. Their midfield was generally solid, just lacking a bit of creativity.

Savio had a promising debut, just lacking that final moment of brilliance. Meanwhile, De Zerbi now also has the option of rotating Mathys Tel. He previously stated that Tel "made too many wrong decisions."

Therefore, Tottenham have not yet reached their desired level of creativity and finishing. While there isn't enough evidence yet to judge, no one can prove that De Zerbi will ultimately find the right solution to unlock Tottenham's potential.

However, based on statistics and on-field observations, this was a game Tottenham should have won, which in itself is progress.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com