For roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham’s season opened with a humiliating 3-0 defeat away to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, a sobering start for a club expected to spend more than £300m after almost going down last season.
Manager’s Blunt Assessment
De Zerbi did not mince words about his side’s cohesion and conditioning following the defeat. “We are not a team yet for a lot of reasons,” the Tottenham manager said. “Before you become a team you can’t say what you can do. We are not in the right physical condition for a lot of reasons. Some players came back late from the World Cup. In Australia we don’t work in the right way but it is not excuses. It is a normal situation when building a new project.
“I don’t want time but we have to pass through these problems. I cannot lose confidence in my players. I believe in my players, my club, myself. We are working well. We have to improve quickly. We could fight stronger than we did today. We lost too many duels today. We arrived second in the second balls. We didn’t win one second ball, one duel, one tackle.”
Emphasizing the need to build chemistry, he added: “There are steps to become better,” he said. “Now the target is to become a team. You can’t become a team from the transfer market on paper. You become a team when the players find a connection, a spirit, a soul. It’s a project.”
Selection, Fitness And Recruitment
Spurs handed debuts to Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. De Zerbi pointed out he was without Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso and Micky van de Ven, while Rodrigo Bentancur, who started on the bench, returned late in pre-season.
The club is close to strengthening its attack by signing Omar Marmoush and Savinho from Manchester City, but De Zerbi underlined that forging a collective identity cannot be achieved solely in the market.
Brentford’s Bright Start
Brentford outclassed the visitors and marked a fine beginning to their second year under Keith Andrews. Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode provided the goals, while £39m signing Mamadou Sangaré impressed on debut in midfield.
“The club deserve a lot of credit for getting that deal done,” Andrews said of Sangaré. “You’ve seen today what he’s capable of, the attributes he has. It adds to a talented midfield. I really enjoyed his performance today. He’s slotted in really well. He’s a humble young man who’s very, very hungry.”
What It Means
The result underscores Tottenham’s urgent need to sharpen fitness and forge on-field connections as De Zerbi’s project takes shape. For Brentford, this commanding win sets a confident tone for the weeks ahead.
Source: The Guardian Sport
