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Tottenham need to start firing in the final third as we head towards the crucial stages of the Premier League campaign. Tottenham did well to back Roberto de Zerbi in the transfer market and bring in some attacking reinforcements during the latter stages of the window. The Lilywhites spent a fortune to sign the likes of Savio, Omar Marmoush, and Mykhailo Mudryk. And it is fair to say that the Italian tactician was well backed this summer, with the club focusing on bolstering every area of the pitch that needed some repair work for the ongoing campaign. However, the opening three Premier League matches have shown that the North Londoners are clearly struggling in the final third of the pitch under Roberto de Zerbi. Despite spending a fortune on attacking reinforcements, Spurs are one of three teams yet to find the back of the net in the league, with Aston Villa and Coventry City being the other two. As per Squawka, the Lilywhites rank closer to mid-table for their 37 attempts on goal, with only ten being on target across the opening three games. And that clearly does not make for good reading. There have been signs of improvement under De Zerbi in terms of the team playing aggressive, attacking football this season. This is backed up by stats that reveal Spurs rank seventh in the league for attempting 409 final-third passes. They have also created 46 open-play sequences (via Squawka), which is further proof that the only thing missing for the Lilywhites is the final product. Tottenham’s attacking line is misfiring under Roberto de Zerbi One of the biggest problems for Roberto de Zerbi this season is the lack of a natural goalscorer in his squad. Spurs have brought in Omar Marmoush, Savio, and Mykhailo Mudryk to contribute with attacking returns this season. But the numbers reveal that all three players have struggled to find consistency in the Premier League in recent years, with Marmoush scoring ten goals in 37 appearances, Savio scoring only twice in 53 games, and Mudryk scoring five goals in 53 matches. And Jack Pitt-Brooke has now backed up the claims that Spurs have no real focal point in the final third who could score 20 goals this season. Speaking on talkSPORT, Pitt-Brooke said, “I agree there’s no 20 or 30 goals a season striker there at Spurs. I think they’re just going to have to hope that when the football clicks, like it did for his Brighton team and his other teams, they will be able to cut through the opposition and create enough chances to score goals. But yes, they don’t have a player who’s going to score a lot of goals.” As Jack Pitt-Brooke rightly points out, Roberto De Zerbi’s playing style somewhat relies on his players cutting their way through opponents and creating constant chances for the attackers. There is not necessarily a need for an out-and-out #9 who needs to be the focal point in the final third. But that said, it is also important for the club to have someone who could change the outcome of a game by simply scoring goals when the Lilywhites need it the most. And that is exactly what is missing at N17 for the North Londoners this time around. What do the numbers say? A recent report revealed that Spurs are the biggest underperformers in terms of Expected Goals in the Premier League this season. The Lilywhites currently sit on a division-worst differential of -3.50 xG this season under Roberto de Zerbi. This just shows that there is a clear lack of a natural goalscorer in the squad who could find the back of the net at any given time. Not only that, but Squawka reveals that Pedro Porro is the club’s leading shot-taker in the Premier League this season, with six shots to his name in just two matches. To make matters worse, only one player has managed to hit the target more than once in the opening three matches, and that is Mikey Moore. Despite featuring in only two matches, Micky van de Ven leads Spurs with 0.67 xG in the Premier League this season. So, players like Omar Marmoush and Savio need to step up their game and improve their finishing in the coming weeks. Only then will the North Londoners be able to compete at the top end of the Premier League table under Roberto de Zerbi.