De Zerbi questions players' character as Tottenham plan referee complaint after Leeds defeat

Roberto De Zerbi publicly questioned his Tottenham players’ character after a 1-0 defeat at Elland Road on Saturday, with Noah Okafor’s 79th-minute strike ending a three-match winning run and leaving Spurs in 10th place in the Premier League.

Consecutive wins over Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace had raised hopes of a genuine revival following a difficult start to the 2026-27 campaign, but De Zerbi was blunt in his post-match assessment, placing responsibility firmly on his squad rather than the match officials.

“We won no duels, no one-to-ones,” the Tottenham head coach said. “We didn’t show personality or what we are, who we are. If you are not honest today the future is not good. If we analyse our second-half behaviour honestly then I think we can become a top team. We have the physicality and the quality but it’s not just about the physicality game. We didn’t show character, personality or courage.”

De Zerbi added that he had been surprised by the performance given the preparation during the week. “My players have the ability to come here, play better and maybe win. But maybe we are not ready yet to be consistent for many games in a row.”

The result was nonetheless overshadowed by a refereeing controversy. Jayden Bogle avoided a red card for a challenge on Mathys Tel that forced the French forward off the pitch, despite a VAR review. Tottenham are said to be preparing a formal complaint to Professional Referee Organisation (Pro Ref) over the decision.

De Zerbi did not shy away from the officiating question, though he framed his criticism around consistency rather than the single incident. “I was surprised because in the same position in the second half there were two different fouls — the yellow card for Pedro Porro is not possible,” he said. “I don’t know if it is a red card or not on Mathys Tel but the parameter of the referee was not good enough for this in both situations.”

The defeat is a setback for a Tottenham side that had appeared to be finding momentum, and De Zerbi’s candid remarks about readiness and consistency will do little to ease the pressure heading into their next fixture.