In the fourth round of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur drew 0-0 with Everton at home. The hosts failed to score for the fourth consecutive Premier League match. TA analyzed the match and identified that Tottenham Hotspur's problems under Roberto De Zerbi are intensifying.

Despite a massive investment of over 300 million pounds in the summer transfer window, the spending appears to have done little to bolster the team's attacking power, as they failed to score for the fourth consecutive match. This was Tottenham's first 0-0 draw at home since the stadium was redeveloped.

Savinho, Dominic Solanke, and Yoane Wissa made their first start together for Tottenham, with Savinho the standout performer for the home side from the outset.

However, the first half was largely uninspiring, and the pitch's visibly poor condition made matters worse. James Garner's free kick was saved by Antonín Kinský, which was the only shot on target throughout the entire match. Early in the second half, Mathys Tel's effort finally tested Jordan Pickford, and Kinský later blocked Thierno Barry's attempt.

Home fans made their frustration clear. Kinský nearly handed Everton the lead with a pass to Hall, but Kinský made an excellent save to rectify the mistake.

Late in the match, Pickford made another error, passing to Lucas Bergvall, but the Everton goalkeeper quickly rushed back to block his shot for a corner kick, ending Tottenham's attacking momentum.

How did Tottenham's new attacking trio perform?

When De Zerbi was appointed, the main concern was how he would set up the team and penetrate deep defensive blocks—a persistent problem during his time at Brighton.

The original idea was that Tottenham would bring in numerous effective attacking players during the transfer window, and by leveraging their unique abilities and technical qualities, De Zerbi would have more tactical options in the final third.

However, Tottenham still struggled to break down Everton's defense. This reflects the same attacking weakness seen in previous matches against Brentford, Nottingham Forest, and Newcastle—despite having an excellent spell against Newcastle.

The trio of Savinho, Dominic Solanke, and Yoane Wissa, with Wissa on the left playing in a narrower, more central position, failed to create any genuine threat, and none of them registered a shot on target.

Tottenham's main attacking threat came from Archie Gray at right-back and Mathys Tel's overlapping runs down the right wing. Moyes' side specifically limited these two players, especially during the latter part of the first half.

Even when Tottenham brought on Mathis Tel, Mohamed Kudus, and Lucas Bergvall as substitutes for Dominic Solanke, Mathys Tel, and Rodrigo Bentancur, and adjusted their attacking approach, the attack remained ineffective.

So far this season, the inability to penetrate deep, compact defenses remains the biggest challenge for De Zerbi and his players.

What's wrong with Tottenham's pitch?

Tottenham's stadium is not just a football venue but has become one of London's major event spaces, hosting two NFL games each year.

Revenue from the stadium has helped fund Tottenham's massive spending in the transfer market this summer. It's unusual for a team that finished 17th in the league for two consecutive seasons to have the third-highest transfer spending in the Premier League, behind only Manchester City and Chelsea, with total investment exceeding 300 million pounds.

However, hosting numerous events has a downside: damage to the pitch quality. Last week, American rapper Jay-Z held back-to-back concerts here, which may explain why large sections of the pitch are yellow and patchy.

The stadium has a retractable pitch system, so even when the pitch is stowed away, the lights can still maintain turf condition. Tottenham's groundstaff use robotic mowers to cover the entire pitch for maintenance to ensure it meets Premier League standards.

Nevertheless, this is only the third match the stadium has hosted this season, yet the pitch looks as poor as it would at the end of May.

Will Archie Gray become a permanent right-back?

Archie Gray's ambition is to be a midfielder, but based on his performance against Everton, his attributes may suit the right-back position under De Zerbi more.

After Porro moved to Inter Milan (for approximately 30 million euros, or 25 million pounds, 34 million dollars), Tottenham did not sign a replacement to serve as a backup right-back to Porro. On one hand, Porro has an excellent availability record, leading the team in playing time since his permanent transfer in 2023.

On the other hand, it stems from De Zerbi's confidence in Archie Gray. De Zerbi handed the armband to the young prospect during preseason and in the opening match against Brentford.

Now, with Porro sidelined with a minor injury (which Tottenham may manage carefully to avoid another injury crisis), the 20-year-old has another chance to play.

Defensively, Archie Gray effectively limited Tariq Johnson's play and later handled Jack Grealish, who came on as a substitute, well. However, it was in attack where he truly excelled, rotating with Mathys Tel down the right wing, demonstrating excellent physical ability and exceptional vision.

When Archie Gray plays as a midfielder, he sometimes struggles to keep pace with the Premier League. As a right-back, whether in possession or not, he can make high-speed overlapping runs into space, which suits his current profile better.

The Premier League has many talented wingers, and he will face greater defensive challenges ahead. Overall, however, this was one of his most complete performances in a Tottenham shirt.

Do both teams miss Richarlison?

Had circumstances been different, he would be in Rio de Janeiro by now. On Saturday, the one man who could have changed the outcome for both teams sat isolated on the stands of Tottenham's stadium, merely an observer.

Dressed in black training gear, shorts, and sneakers, Richarlison watched his former and current club battle each other, with both teams struggling to score in attack.

The match made it abundantly clear that Tottenham lacks a reliable goal scorer, and Everton is left with only one recognized striker. Both teams might regret not having Richarlison. The Brazilian striker scored 11 Premier League goals last season, making him Tottenham's top scorer. Had he scored those goals for Everton instead, he would also be Everton's top scorer.

The reality is that De Zerbi did not exclude this player from Tottenham's Premier League squad this season—the club simply grew tired of his repeated transfer requests and Everton's attempt to sign the former striker on the final day of the transfer window ultimately failed.

At least visiting Everton can say that not signing Richarlison was beyond their control. It's reported that the financial terms of the deal were unrealistic, and Richarlison himself refused to return to Merseyside, despite his goals being exactly what Everton desperately needed.

Barry is the only striker Moyes trusts, and this is the second consecutive match in which he has squandered a golden opportunity: Tariq Johnson played a dangerous through ball, and Barry sent it straight into Kinský's arms.

Richarlison recently indicated he was close to completing a loan move to Vasco da Gama until December, but the deal ultimately fell through.

Now he finds himself in a difficult situation without a club to play for, and both clubs face questions about their own scoring ability as well.

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