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Tottenham Hotspur followed up three straight victories with a horrendous showing at Elland Road, losing 1-0 to a Leeds United side that had lost 2-0 to AFC Bournemouth a week ago. Spurs have had an established problem of not being able to finish their chances, but against Leeds United, they could not even create them.

Everyone assumed James Maddison would be able to return from his latest injury issue, but he did not even take the field. And in his place, Spurs did not start a real No. 10. It was difficult to tell if Archie Gray or Mateus Fernandes was the playmaker, but it was immaterial either way with how poor Spurs were at creating chances. The way they played, they didn't really have a playmaker.

The midfield trio of Gray, Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali was objectionably bad. At least Gray was the only player on the team to create more than one chance against his former employers, whereas Tonali was downright shocking with a pass completion rate of 70 on only 37 attempts.

Roberto De Zerbi set up Spurs to lose

Roberto De Zerbi totally got Spurs wrong, choosing a very defensive lineup that could not move the ball or create anything meaningful in this clean sheet loss. Spurs looked cowardly and weak, almost like a team coached by Thomas Frank.

And De Zerbi did all this, in the end, just to squeeze both Pedro Porro and Archie Gray into the lineup. Instead of going with the logical option of resting Porro extra through the break and starting Gray at right back so he could continue his excellence in possession and make sure Spurs had another guy to rule the middle of the park, De Zerbi started Porro. And Porro was horrendous.

There is not a single action from that game that Porro did well. He was subpar defensively, he was inaccurate with his passing, he left Mohammed Kudus on an island to struggle, and he could not progress the ball. Archie Gray at right back was better than Pedro Porro at right back on this day, and with Porro starting, Gray in the midfield was meaningless.

Spurs had no 10, no outlet to create for the forwards, who were isolated and poor themselves at taking on creative roles or showing urgency, especially after Mathys Tel's injury. Roberto De Zerbi so badly wanted Porro to play before he was ready in an environment in which he was going to struggle, and even then, Porro could have worked if there was a creative midfielder to bridge the midfield and attack and balance the team. De Zerbi got everything wrong, he chose the false cause of wanting Porro shoehorned in to a defensive team, and he paid the price with a loss.

Tottenham Hotspur turned in a pathetic performance at Elland Road on Saturday, undoing so much of what was good about their stretch after the September and October international break. Failing to score in this 1-0 loss to the Peacocks obviously not a new challenge for a side desperate to find a real striker who can score goals, but Spurs did not even create chances in this one.

After nearly getting relegated last season before Roberto De Zerbi saved them, their improvement in the relegation fight combined with nearly 400 million pounds spent on new signings had both fans and pundits singing the club's praises and believing in a return to Champions League places.

That optimism dissipated rather quickly when the season started and Spurs began the campaign winless, but that hope returned in a big way with how well Tottenham Hotspur played after the break, particularly when they dominated Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, which has been an infrequent feat throughout their history.

Tottenham are cut back down a size

But after this loss to Leeds, Tottenham fans can only help but wonder again if this is their level. Tottenham have not been competing at the top end of the table for a couple of seasons now, and after their winless start, fans were reminded that Spurs are very much a work in progress. And though they may be a Big Six club and finally operating like one this past summer transfer window they made under Roberto De Zerbi, they certainly played like a mid table team.

If there were belief in Tottenham as something more than a mid table side and as a Champions League contender after the three game winning streak, especially after the one over Chelsea, it has wavered again after this totally listless 1-0 loss to Leeds at Elland Road.

That sinking feeling that Tottenham are really just a bloated, expensive mid table team with serious flaws, most namely an inability to actually score goals on a reliable basis, is back and will permeate the club through another international break. But at least it will stave off feelings of complacency, with Spurs meeting a sobering reality at the hands of a Daniel Farke side that pressed and harried them into utter incompetence and embarrassment this weekend.

Tottenham did not go into a hole near the bottom of the table for two seasons overnight, and as much as they thought the winning streak was a normalization and a return to dominance under De Zerbi's bright ideas, it, unfortunately, may not have been so sweet.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi saved this club from relegation last season after Thomas Frank had this team playing the worst possible football in the country - and Igor Tudor did nothing else to change that. But from the ashes of cowardly football rose a new, exciting, possession based brand of football under De Zerbi, and after weeks of ups and downs this season when De Zerbi truly enacted it without the threat of relegation hanging over his head.

Spurs were playing amazing football these last four weeks since the previous international break, really taking it to their opponents. And they saved their best for the previous two weeks, dominating Chelsea for a rare win at Stamford Bridge before making Crystal Palace look like a team so poor they could actually benefit from Mr. Frank taking charge.

All of that was thrown out the window at Elland Road against Leeds United. Suddenly, De Zerbi and his football looked like a spitting image of Thomas Frank. Tottenham Hotspur were completely overrun, and whereas they were usually the ones to suffocate the opposition, the Peacocks did the suffocating. They swarmed the entire Spurs midfield, with Sandro Tonali unable to create anything meaningful, completing only 70.3 percent of 37 pass attempts.

Tottenham couldn't even create vs. Leeds

Defensively, Spurs did not press or play aggressively either. They let Leeds pass through them into the final third too easily and often did the old Frank trick of literally spreading back away from the ball when Leeds won possession. They did this most egregiously in the second half, too, as the game got away from them, with the home side badly outshooting Spurs in the second stanza en route to the loss.

Roberto De Zerbi's normally aggressive, exciting brand of attack minded football was totally unrecognizable on Saturday at Elland Road. Instead, Tottenham Hotspur looked like imposters of themselves in defeat, and they looked more like they did last season when they lost a lot of these 1-0 games and showed no goal threat, looking like cowards.

Tottenham Hotspur had a rough afternoon at Elland Road, losing 1-0 to a Leeds United side that they were confident in defeating, having won three games in a row and even outplaying Manchester United at Old Trafford in their first game after the last international break (though that feat seems far less impressive now). But Leeds were a buzzsaw to them, and it was particularly shocking to see how they suffocated the Spurs midfield, totally shutting down Sandro Tonali in the process.

Coming into the final match before the upcoming November international break, Tonali was playing about as well as any midfielder in the Premier League, generating love from Spurs fans as a candidate to be named Midfielder of the Season, capable of challenging Arsenal's 2025/26 Ballon d'Or sleeper Declan Rice.

So much that was good about Tottenham Hotspur seemed to emanate from Roberto De Zebri's chosen maestro in midfield. The Italian international came of age as a midfield general against Chelsea with a dominant display just two weeks after bossing Manchester United's midfield, and then he followed that up with another great game against a 10 man Crystal Palace.

Sandro Tonali couldn't even move the ball for Spurs

But Tonali got a sobering reality check, as he and Tottenham had their worst games of the season since that 3-0 Matchday 1 debacle against local rivals Brentford at the Gtech. This defeat at Elland Road felt eerily similar, minus the fact that Leeds United are not as adept in the attack as the Bees.

Sandro Tonali completed barely 70 percent of his passes in a true disaster class. Leeds gave him no time and space on the ball, and he suffered accordingly. The former AC Milan Scudetto winner did not have a single dribble completed, key pass, or any other meaningful offensive contribution while losing the ball four times on unforced errors.

And despite being elite all season long on and off the ball defensively, Tonali scarcely won the ball and was totally overrun by a mediocre Leeds midfield. Leeds made it their game plan to destroy Tonali, and it was scary, from a Tottenham Hotspur perspective, how great of a job they did in executing that.

Tonali is Spurs most important player and the focal point of the team, and in the darkest way possible, that point was reenforced by how badly Spurs played as a team when Leeds neutralized him completely. Now, Tonali deserves criticism for how poorly he played, but Roberto De Zerbi and his Tottenham teammates have to be criticized, too, for letting things get to that point. There was no tactical game plan to help Tonali or get someone else to take on that responsibility with him swarmed, and the other midfielders were inept at taking the burden themselves. It can't happen again.

Tottenham Hotspur followed up four consecutive positive performances after the last international break with an absolute stinker against Leeds United at Elland Road, losing 1-0. Spurs were shocking and showed their worst habits from earlier in the season, undoing a lot of the goodwill they had built up in looking like a team on the rise back to Champions League places. And after not being a part of the brilliant wins, Savio may have been worried that people thought he wasn't important to the team. That isn't the case now.

The attack was partcularly abhorrent and got even worse after Mathys Tel's brutal injury late in the first half. Dominic Solanke came into the game and was as terrible as ever, but Mohammed Kudus also took a step backwards after some good performances. And the worst performer of them all was Omar Marmoush, who started at striker but might as well have been playing for the Peacocks.

All in all, Tottenham were terrible. The midfield got overrun, and while the defense only surrendered one goal, it's not like anybody really distinguished themselves positively in the effort. The only player who wasn't completely dreadful was Jan Paul Van Hecke in the center of defense.

Savio is going to get his job back

So the biggest winner for Spurs, with nobody able to change the tide of the game off the bench either, was someone who didn't even play the match. And he didn't play because he was injured. Savio may have been undervalued because Spurs were winning and playing so well without him, but it would have been unfortunate and incorrect for people to assume that he did not matter - or, worse yet, that Spurs are better off without him.

Savio is going to take his starting job back, perhaps even from a wasteful Mohammed Kudus on the right flank, so that Spurs can have him as an inverted winger to see if he can help add to the goals at Spurs. It's a long shot, sure, but with the way Kudus could not finish even when Tottenham were winning, it's worth a shot.

The big storyline around Tottenham Hotspur young left winger Mathys Tel is the injury. It's unclear the extent or the nature of the injury, but Tel had to leave the field in the 42nd minute after being unable to continue following a studs up blow to the Achilles from Leeds wide man Jayden Bogle.

Tel's injury occurred on a dangerous play that is normally red carded, and Spurs players have been given a red card for a similar, more benign version, of that tackle in the past. There was a lengthy VAR review for nearly five minutes, too, and yet Bogle walked away without even a booking, while Tel had to walk away from the game.

Shameful as that was, there is an important lesson that Tottenham are learning about Tel that is more positive to the youngster. Tel matters to this team. He was the one player on Spurs against Leeds who looked capable of moving up the pitch and turning his man, and he was literally the only player who showed any bite at Elland Road.

Tottenham were buried without Mathys Tel

Tottenham Hotspur thus became totally toothless once he left and Dominic Solanke came into the match in the 42nd minute. Spurs only had one shot for most of the second half and eventually lost the game. Omar Marmoush was even worse, losing the ball seven times with no dribbles completed or key passes. Solanke folded like a crumbled piece of paper every time he touched the ball in another disaster class. Mohammed Kudus was bad, too, spamming inaccurate crosses before totally ghosting in the second half.

The entire Spurs attack fell apart without Tel. And Tottenham looked great offensively against Chelsea and Crystal Palace in their wins with Tel on the pitch, and he was their leader in dribbles completed and key passes in that time span, including an amazing goal late in the win over Chelsea, which was easily the best goal scored by a Spurs forward this season. It's not even close.

Tottenham benched Tel for several weeks after a few sloppy showings, but when you look at the numbers, even Tel's bad games for Spurs were actually better and more impactful by the numbers than any of the games Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush have had this season. Tel is a must start for Spurs, and he is going to be missed badly if he can't get back in time for Ipswich Town after the break.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have fallen in love with Luca Williams-Barnett. They already did before the season even started, because they either knew he was a top prospect or they watched him shine in the preseason. But after his spellbinding run in his Premier League debut off the bench against Crystal Palace, Spurs fans had fallen head over heels for the teenager.

Roberto De Zerbi wants to lease him along, and that's wise. So starting soon is likely out of the question for LWB. But it's not impossible. And after the events that transpired at Elland Road against Leeds United, Tottenham now have a couple of compelling reasons for thrusting LWB into a major role after the briefer November international break.

The first reason is the Mathys Tel injury. It's unclear what the injury is or to what extent, but it did not look good. Tel absorbed a brutal tackle, studs up on his Achilles that was somehow not even booked despite meriting a red card in literally any other league - Xavi Simons had been sent off for a more benign version of that challenge last season.

Omar Marmoush doesn't look like a solution

If Tel is out for any period of time after the international break or not 100 percent, the left wing is vacant. Tottenham Hotspur are going to need an immediate solution. They could roll with Savio on the left side and start a noninverted winger so both Mohammed Kudus and Savio are in the 11, and they are probably the two best wingers on the team. But with Kudus struggling badly to score and coming off a bad game against Leeds himself, it's going to be even harder for Spurs to get the goals they need.

The other option then is to play Omar Marmoush as an inverted left winger. But he's been terrible this season, too, and he was just as bad as Dominic Solanke against Leeds. In fact, he may have been the worst player on the pitch with zero key passes, zero dribbles completed, and seven unforced errors to lose possession. That hardly sounds like a great left winger option.

Marmoush's struggles, therefore, open up the ambipedal Luca Williams-Barnett on the left wing. He is young, yes, but even with his rawness, he may still already be Spurs best option on the wings. Williams-Barnett can use his left foot and skills to be the traditional left winger like Savio, but his right foot is also good enough to cut inside and shoot, which means he could offer a better goal threat than the Brazilian. It's an option worth thinking about.

Dominic Solanke did come into the game for Tottenahm Hotspur in the 42nd minute after a brutal injury to left winger Mathys Tel on a play that should have been a red card, and the long time struggling striker was, again, horrendous for Spurs on Saturday afternoon. But the bigger story was the player who actually started as the striker against Leeds United, Omar Marmoush.

Since coming to Tottenham as a summer transfer who is going to cost Spurs 60 million pounds at the end of the 2026/27 season when the obligation to buy on his loan clause kicks in, Marmosuh has scored just one goal and provided zero assists.

On Saturday in the 1-0 loss to Leeds, Marmoush hit a new low. No matter where he popped up on the pitch, Marmoush was terrible. He was the sloppiest player on the pitch by far, losing possession nine times. He only got two shots off all game long and created literally zero chances for his teammates with zero dribbles completed despite having the opportunity to lose the ball so often.

Omar Marmoush is starting to smell like a problem

Now that it has been nine appearances in the Premier League with eight starts, Omar Marmoush can no longer hide behind sample size, nor can he say anything about an adjustment period. Because he has been with Spurs from August to November now. Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Andy Robertson, and Jan Paul van Hecke have adjusted to their new club. Savio hit the ground running immediately from Manchester City, too.

So what is Marmoush's excuse? The harsh reality is that he has none. Marmoush has been in the Premier League for well over a year now, and he did nothing on a stacked Manchester City team where almost every attacking player eats. And at Tottenham Hotspur, Marmoush has seemingly taken a step backwards.

Marmoush is at a point where his spot in the lineup is in serious trouble, because Spurs could be better off without both him and Dominic Solanke. And if he keeps playing this badly, Johan Lange may have to find a way to desperately get out of this 60 million pound obligation on an albatross of a forward.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke has been relegated to the bench for Spurs and was not starting the game at Elland Road against Leeds United. However, Spurs had to turn to their embattled No. 9 in the first half after left winger Mathys Tel went down injured,

And he did precisely nothing. Solanke had no shots or key passes, and all he did was lose the ball when it did come to him, falling onto the ground with the slighest of touches. It has been quite jarring to see a player who was brought in because of his all around play and ability to be a hold up No. 9 simply crumble under the slightest of pressure or touches while doing nothing to create for others. And it's plainly obvious that he can't score.

Coming into the 2026/27 Premier League season, every single Tottenham Hotspur supporter knew that the Lilywhites needed to sign a new striker, and if they had to keep one of their two vetearns from the last season, most fans were clearly behind Richarlison, given he at least led the team in goals and helped them survive relegation with his work rate. Solanke, on the other hand, had one purple patch but was either injured or downright woeful when he did play.

It's time for Dominic Solanke to go

Well, Dominic Solanke has somehow been even worse than that this season. He misses easy chances, he is never in the box when the team needs him, and his play on the ball itself is the worst of any striker in the Premier League, as evidenced by four more unforced errors in just around 50 minutes of action at Elland Road.

Tottenham needed Solanke to give them something, and against a tough Leeds defense, Solanke showed that he belongs nowhere near a Premier League Big Six side. Richarlison already unfortunately sealed his fate by squabbling with Roberto De Zerbi at the summer transfer deadline over whether or not he did want to leave, but regardless of that bad blood and that ship sailing, it's clear that Solanke has to go, too.

Because Solanke only stayed since De Zerbi backed him. Obviously, De Zerbi backed the wrong horse. Tottenham are going nowhere with Solanke in the team, and any time he is in the starting 11, Spurs are liable to miss out on goals. Or lose. He didn't even start against Leeds, but the minute he came in, Spurs were even worse. They didn't even get more than one shot for most of the second half until the end. And literally none of those shots were Solanke's. Richy is leaving in 2027, and Solanke can go out the door with him. The sooner, the better.

After winning three straight games and genuinely looking like they had turned the corner since the last international break with not a bad performance in the four since those weeks off, Tottenham Hotspur came crashing back down to earth, losing all of their positive momentum with a 1-0 loss to Leeds United at Elland Road that was nothin short of unacceptable.

Here are three Tottenham players who carry the most blame for the defeat.

DM Sandro Tonali

Tottenham's most important player, in a more twisted way, reminded fans of that importance by performing horribly in Spurs loss. He was completely overwhelmed by the Leeds press and the way they condensed the midfield, and Tonali really set the tone for how Spurs played in a much more negative way.

He barely completed 70 percent of his passes and was completely overrun defensively. Tonali did not do well enough to win the ball or diagnose counterattacks in what was his worst defensive performance of the season. And then on the ball, he was a disaster, failing to progress the ball or create anything. He was the worst player on the pitch.

CF Omar Marmoush

But Omar Marmoush was a close second. Dominic Solanke was more invisible when he came into the match after Mathys Tel's injury, but given the chances Marmoush had on the ball, he really disappointed. Marmoush is starting to look like a 60 million pound flop transfer already. He has to be more effective on the ball, and he has to take up better positions. At striker, Marmoush, materially, isn't much better than Solanke, which is to say that he's not good enough either.

LB Andy Robertson

While Andy Robertson was not as weak as Omar Marmoush and Sandro Tonali and there were other bad performers on Spurs, he absolutely deserves mention. Yet again, Robbo was a weak link for Spurs, and even though he generally plays well against teams Spurs can dominate like Leeds, he was still poor in this game. He offered no outlet or support on the left wing, he didn't have a single good cross, and he did not win the ball to help his team out defensively. Robertson might as well have let Spurs play with 10 men and not have taken the field. Spurs needed more from their fullbacks to take the width of the pitch and let the wingers truly invert. Robbo ensured the entire left flank for Spurs was non-existent after Tel left injured.