Marmoush backs Tottenham to turn corner despite winless Premier League start

Omar Marmoush has urged confidence at Tottenham despite a winless Premier League start, saying the squad is “very close” to finding the consistency that has so far eluded Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

Spurs have collected just two points from their opening four top-flight fixtures and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday after a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool. The result extended a troubling goalscoring drought — Conor Gallagher’s 69th-minute header at Anfield was Tottenham’s first goal against top-flight opposition since the final day of last season.

Yet the underlying numbers at Anfield offered some encouragement. Spurs outperformed Liverpool in shots taken, shots on target, possession, and touches in the opposition box — only to be frustrated by Giorgi Mamardashvili, the Reds’ backup goalkeeper, who produced three fine saves. One, a brilliant stop from a deflected Marmoush strike with the score at 2-1 late in the second half, proved particularly costly.

“He made an unbelievable save and he was one of the best players on the pitch,” said Marmoush, who is on loan at Spurs with an obligation to buy clause worth £60 million at the end of the season. “Everyone can see we reach the goal so many times, we have so much quality on the pitch — and when these small details click it will be very good. Every game we create more and more chances and I am sure we are very close.”

The Egyptian also spoke about the importance of collective resilience during the difficult run. “These moments build the mentality and the team together. We are all one big family and we push together. These small glimpses of success give us another push and we have to build this confidence within us.”

De Zerbi acknowledged that James Maddison, who made his third substitute appearance of the season at Anfield, has the quality to change games but is not yet ready to start. “Maddison is for sure a different player, a special player but he has to be fit, he has to be in the right physical condition because the Premier League intensity is incredible,” the head coach said.

On a more positive note, De Zerbi confirmed that defender Pedro Porro will be available for Saturday’s home fixture against Aston Villa after missing the last two matches with a muscular problem.