Roberto De Zerbi did not hold back in his assessment of Tottenham’s performance against Leeds, identifying three key ingredients that were missing from his side at Elland Road.

Spurs suffered a 1-0 defeat on Saturday after substitute Noah Okafor struck late in the second half, but the result was only part of the frustration for the Italian.

De Zerbi was particularly unhappy with the way his players approached the contest after the break.

“We played without the right spirit, the right character, the right physicality in the duels,” he said, as reported by Football London.

It was a blunt summary, and one that will resonate with supporters who watched Tottenham struggle to match Leeds’ intensity. The home side were more aggressive, sharper in the challenges and increasingly dangerous as the game wore on.

There will inevitably be discussion about the first-half decision not to send Jayden Bogle off for his challenge on Mathys Tel.

But De Zerbi has made it clear that he does not want his team hiding behind the officials. The bigger issue was what Tottenham failed to produce themselves.

As we discussed in our analysis of three reasons Tottenham lost at Leeds, the problems were not limited to one refereeing decision.

Our player ratings from the defeat also reflected how few players reached the required standard, in a really disappointing outing for the team.

De Zerbi’s comments are a reminder that talent and tactics only take a team so far.

Tottenham need to compete, win their individual battles and show the personality required when a match becomes difficult. Against Leeds, they did not do enough of any of those things.