Roberto De Zerbi chose not to address his players after the Aston Villa defeat and thought maybe it was for the best.

Instead, the Tottenham boss took his raw emotions into the press conference and vented on the nature of this latest demise, criticising the inability of his players to recognise and react to the most vital moments in the game.

In doing so, he touched on their leadership and maturity, understanding of the game situation, low confidence and the habit crumbling in adversity.

All of which have been common themes over the last 12 months in N17 and problems supposed to have been tackled in a summer spree signing ten players with Premier League experience at a cost close to £400million.

All of which provokes a chilling shiver of deja vu for Spurs fans.

They must be better – but, first, reflect on another disappointing result in the Premier League. 

Roberto De Zerbi chose not to address his players after defeat by Aston Villa – instead opting to berate them in the press

Johna Manzambi scored his first Villa goal following an error from Spurs’ Andy Robertson

Johan Manzambi 0-1…

First-half stoppage time and Spurs were down to ten men because Micky van de Ven was off having a facial cut treated. De Zerbi’s team had played very well for half an hour, created chances and failed to score.

Villa had grown into the game but the goal was a gift from left back Andy Robertson as he tried to prevent a corner, stretched to keep the ball in play and gave it to John McGinn inside the Spurs penalty box. Robertson is the most experienced player in the team and must have realised a corner would have enabled Van de Ven to return.

De Zerbi complained about communication but also after defeat at home by Newcastle in August he said heads dropped when a decent start that yielded no reward was followed by the setback of a goal for the visitors.

Again, it rocked Spurs more than it should have. ‘Even if it’s not going well or we don’t score, we need to stay calm and keep doing the things we need to do,’ said captain Van de Ven.

Unfortunately they didn’t, they panicked, over-committed and played into Villa’s hands as they poured forward at the start of the second-half.

They had what they thought was an equaliser by Mohamed Kudus overturned by a VAR intervention and then conceded the second on the break.

Nicolas Jackson 0-2…

Spurs have not won from behind for nearly two years and it looks like a statistic on the minds of the players. Once behind, they become anxious, especially at home with such a huge expectant crowd and such a terrible recent record.

This was a goal from last season’s catalogue. Sliced open on the turnover, unable to defend the long ball, prevent the shot or save it. ‘Unacceptable’ fumed De Zerbi. ‘We can’t lose balance just because in the first-half we are losing.’

The forwards were the target of his ire because he thought their impatience cost the team its rhythm and control. ‘We forced the pass,’ he said. They took unnecessary risks. James Maddison had just come on to restore but the Jackson goal went in before he had any impact on the game.

Villa defended deep, with full backs pinned in and were direct. Who can blame them? Spurs have a deep-rooted problem trying to unlock teams who defend deep, invite them on, prey on their frustration and break at pace.

Coventry, the next visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, will likely do exactly the same.

Jackson provided Villa an excellent outlet with his tireless running the channels, disturbing both central defenders as he did for his goal. He fought down a long punt from goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, linked up with Manzambi and applied a clinical finish.

Spurs failed to sign a centre-forward, which was the subject of much post-match discussion, but they did target Omar Marmoush as a centre-forward for £60m, and it is already clear that he is not the type of centre-forward De Zerbi would like.

Marmoush has started the last two Premier League games on the left. Why did they think he was the answer at centre-forward?

Nicolas Jackson’s goal was like Spurs of old – done on the turnover and unable to prevent the shot coming in

James Maddison was slow to get out for the third goal, but it was probably a situation of tired minds as much as tired bodies

Emi Buendia 0-3…

An exquisite finish maybe, but Villa’s midfield spoiler Joao Gomes was made to look like David Ginola in full flow as he jinked through a tired-looking Spurs midfield. Then Maddison was slow to close down Buendia’s shot and turned away as it flew past him.

These are the risks of a front four with Kudus, Maddison and Savio behind Marmoush. They do cover the miles and occasionally get a foot in to make a tackle but they are not defensively minded in any way.

De Zerbi promised to get to work on the physical conditioning of those players such as Maddison just back from injury and not away with their countries for the international break, but this was probably as much about tired minds as tired bodies.

Minds exhausted by the stress of so many of these high-anxiety games at their home stadium where Spurs have won only twice in the Premier League in the last 12 months.

They seem so petrified to fail in front of their own fans that it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Little wonder thousands of fans darted for the exits at 0-3 and missed late goals, the first Spurs goal of the Premier League season by Conor Gallagher from a Kudus cut back, and a header by Jan Paul van Hecke, eight minutes into stoppage time.

The late flurry had more to do with Villa taking off their best players with the game won. Manzambi in the 72nd minute, followed by John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara and Jackson in the 88th minute.

And, with Pedro Porro suffering a hamstring injury in the first-half, it is unlikely to be a restful international break for De Zerbi.