Paul Merson Warns Spurs Fans Over De Zerbi's Public Criticism

Paul Merson has sounded the alarm over Roberto De Zerbi’s early-season rhetoric at Tottenham, warning that the head coach’s public criticism of his forwards and medical staff should concern Spurs fans.

De Zerbi was blunt after the goalless draw with Nottingham Forest. No shots on target. Still no Premier League goal this season. And in the aftermath, he pointed the finger.

He said his attacking players needed to make “better decisions” in the final third. He then revealed he was “not happy” that the medical team had insisted Savio and Destiny Udogie could only play an hour, a call he believes disrupted Spurs’ rhythm and cost them momentum.

For Merson, that’s a red flag.

‘You keep that in the dressing room’

“I thought Spurs were fortunate against Nottingham Forest,” Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column. “If Neco Williams is a little bit braver, then Forest win. But it's a start for them.”

The performance didn’t bother him as much as the post-match debrief.

“Roberto De Zerbi had a go at his forwards after the game. He also had a go at his medical staff for dictating his substitutions. You say that in the dressing room; don't come out and say it. You need to keep that in-house.

“That would worry me as a Spurs fan. De Zerbi does fall out with people.”

The concern is not theoretical. Merson immediately drew a line to what happened at Chelsea.

“You saw what happened with Enzo Maresca at Chelsea when he started calling out the medical team for dictating his substitutions. He left a few weeks later.”

So is De Zerbi simply protecting his own position? Merson can see that angle too.

“I don't know if he's covering himself there with those comments about the medical staff, because that could be kept quiet.

“At the same time, if he's being told to take a player off, he's the manager. He's in charge. If it's not up to him how long his players get on the pitch, why shouldn't he cover himself?”

The forwards, though, are a different story in Merson’s eyes.

“I don't understand having a go at the forwards, though. They didn't have 20 chances. It's not as if the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper was man of the match. I didn't see that at all.”

De Zerbi’s detailed attack on Spurs’ finishing

De Zerbi’s frustration stemmed from specific moments he felt his side squandered.

“I think we played well but in the last third we have to improve,” he said. “We have to take the better decisions. We have to keep more calm when we are very close to doing something important in the last third.”

He reeled off examples. One stood out.

“I remember the chance when Omar Marmoush shot at goal in the second half, the way we had Robertson overlapping. If we take the right decision and we play with Andy Robertson then on the second post there is Kudus to score like this.”

Then came the wasted crosses.

“Or how many crosses went over the second post? From Mathys Tel, two times, Savio, one time. Savio, I think it's the last decision.

The ball from Pedro Porro on Mateus Fernandes when he played with Kudus and then for the header of Dominic Solanke, Mateus was completely alone to go forward to score.”

For De Zerbi, this isn’t about volume of chances. It’s about clarity in the decisive moment. For Merson, it’s about where and how you air that frustration.

Medical team in the firing line

De Zerbi didn’t stop at the forwards. He went straight at the medical advice that shaped his substitutions.

“The second half, I'm sorry because the medical staff pushed to change Savinho and Udogie after 60 minutes,” he said.

“[Replacements Mohammed] Kudus and [Andy] Robertson, they played very well. But two substitutions in that moment was not so good.

“But now we can't take risk to injury again. Savio is too important for us. The same Destiny. Maybe we lost some balance, some connection.

“I'm not happy. But football is like this. Savio has not the best physical condition to play 90 minutes. He's an important player for us, a crucial player. Destiny is another crucial player for us.

“I think Kudus and Robertson, they played well. But, you know, to start one game like today, it's not so easy to come in from the bench and adapt immediately.

“I'm not happy when we have the plan, but it's for my advantage, for my business, the management of the players after injuries.”

The message was clear: he accepted the medical call, but he didn’t like it, and he believes it hurt Spurs at a key stage of the match.

For Merson, airing that tension publicly risks creating exactly the sort of internal friction a club trying to rebuild can do without.

Spurs’ reality check

Beyond the noise around comments and criticism, Merson sees a harsher truth Spurs must accept.

“It's a long way to go for Spurs. But my problem is the mentality. You don't come 17th two years on the trot and expect to turn it around in a New York minute.”

Patience, he insists, is non-negotiable.

“I think people have got to be patient. Spurs shouldn't worry about being eight points behind Arsenal - all they've got to worry about is who's fifth, and how many points they're behind fifth.

“They're not finishing ahead of Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.”

That’s the bar Merson sets. Not a title challenge. Not a miracle surge. Just a realistic climb towards the European spots.

The football will evolve. The finishing should sharpen. The injuries will ease. But if the public shots at players and staff keep flying this early in the project, the real question for Spurs may not be about goals or points at all – it may be how long everyone pulls in the same direction.