ESPN reported that De Zerbi criticised Tottenham Hotspur's defending after conceding two early goals to Aston Villa, calling for the team's leaders to take greater responsibility.

Goals from John McGinn, Nicolás Jackson and Jhon Durán made it difficult for Tottenham to mount a comeback, though they did score twice in the Premier League during the second half.

This is Tottenham's worst start after five Premier League matches, with the team collecting just two points and a goal difference of -6, worse than their record in the same period during the 2008-09 season (two points, goal difference -3).

Tottenham had good opportunities early in the match but squandered several chances before McGinn capitalised just before half-time.

Micky van de Ven left the pitch to receive further treatment after a facial injury shortly after the match restarted. With their captain sidelined and reduced to ten men, Tottenham conceded again.

In the second half, a goal from Kulusevski was disallowed for offside. Jackson later exploited Tottenham's defensive errors to extend Aston Villa's lead.

De Zerbi said in his post-match statement: "I don't want to talk about the first half when we controlled the game, created chances and played well. What I want to discuss is why we conceded when we were down to ten men.

"In that situation, we should have been stronger. We should have communicated better and been more compact. I put Bentancur at centre-back and Matheus Nunes in midfield. With a red card, you can play with ten men for 40, 70 or 60 minutes. What's the problem?

"Then in the second half we scored through Kulusevski but he was in an offside position. I don't know if some players' fitness dropped, but we conceded an unacceptable goal from the restart."

Throughout most of the match, De Zerbi appeared visibly frustrated on the touchline, pulling his shirt over his face when players missed chances in the first half. After Aston Villa dominated the second half, he sat on the bench with his head in his hands.

De Zerbi continued: "Before the match, we knew Aston Villa increased their long balls by 86% this season compared to last. We had several meetings yesterday and the day before and discussed this.

"This is another explanation like the Newcastle game. We played well in the first half and the first 60 minutes, but then we lost. The responsibility is mine and I take it. However, when a game isn't just about possession and playing in the opponent's final third, we need to adapt because it's impossible to play like that for all 90 minutes like we did in the first half. Aston Villa aren't a poor team—they're a good team with good players.

"When we need to defend, we must be compact. Leaders must lead and take charge."

De Zerbi later stated that he chose not to address the players immediately after Saturday's defeat.

Over the past year, Aston Villa have won three domestic fixtures at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, matching the number of victories Tottenham have achieved there in the same period.

De Zerbi said: "Today I am disappointed, sad and frustrated with the team's performance because there's no reason we should lose this match in this way.

"We cannot concede a second goal and we cannot lose our balance just because we were behind at half-time. At the start of the second half, I told the four forwards to use their brains and stay calm. It's the 50th or 51st minute—we must stay calm for the entire second half, enjoy the game and not take risks. We need to exploit the space and be more focused when entering the opponent's final third. But the second goal we conceded was incredible."

After the international break, Tottenham will travel to Old Trafford on October 10 to face Manchester United as they look for their first Premier League victory of the season.

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