Mathys Tel endured another frustrating afternoon as Tottenham Hotspur’s early-season goal drought continued with a 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Deployed on the left wing in Roberto De Zerbi’s front three alongside summer arrivals Savio and Omar Marmoush, the 21-year-old Frenchman struggled to make an impact against a resilient Forest defence.
With Tottenham still seeking their first Premier League win and goal of the campaign, Tel’s lack of cutting edge in the final third mirrored the team’s broader attacking struggles.
During his 74 minutes on the pitch, Tel was contained by Nottingham Forest. The French winger attempted seven dribbles, completing three.
He was often forced into backwards passes or dispossessed when looking to cut inside and also won just four of his 12 ground duels.
Tel’s display drew public criticism from De Zerbi after the match, with the Italian manager citing that he ‘takes too many wrong decisions’.
The nature of Tel’s substitution further increases the pressure on his starting role. De Zerbi withdrew the Frenchman in the 74th minute to hand a debut to deadline-day loan signing Mykhailo Mudryk.
Having previously worked with Mudryk at Shakhtar Donetsk, De Zerbi could now be set to change things up on the left after three unconvincing outings from Tel, who had impressed in pre-season.
While Tottenham picked up their first point of the league season to end a two-game losing run, Tel’s spot in the starting XI now looks in jeopardy.
Unless his final-third efficiency improves quickly, the former Bayern Munich prodigy could lose his place as De Zerbi seeks answers to Spurs’ goalscoring woes.