Roberto De Zerbi has apologized for Tottenham's dismal start to the season, which saw the team suffer a significant defeat against Brentford on opening day. The manager admitted the squad did not "fight in the right way," "lost too many duels," and "made a lot of mistakes."
De Zerbi stated that the team needs time to develop and improve in key areas. "We are not a team yet for a lot of reasons," he explained. "We are not in the right physical condition, but these are not excuses, this is a normal situation when you are building a new project."
Five players made their debuts for Spurs in the match: Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, and Andrew Robertson. De Zerbi acknowledged that building team cohesion and spirit takes time. "The target is to become a team. You become a team when players find a connection, find the spirit, and the soul."
He added that the team did not display the necessary "soul or the quality of play, with or without the ball." De Zerbi believes that while the defeat is painful, it could serve as a crucial learning moment. "Today can be an important defeat. Maybe we will wake up stronger."
Lucas Bergvall and Conor Gallagher were substituted at halftime. De Zerbi defended Bergvall's performance despite a crucial tackle loss leading to Brentford's second goal, noting that such errors are part of a young player's development.
Brentford secured their victory with goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt, and Michael Kayode. Igor Thiago also missed a penalty for the home side.
Bees boss Keith Andrews expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, particularly highlighting the debut of Mamadou Sangare. "The club deserve a lot of credit for getting that deal done," Andrews said of Sangare, who was a target for many clubs. "He has slotted in really well, adapted really well... You can see his attributes. Great energy and quality. I enjoyed his performance."
