De Zerbi discovers money alone can't fix Tottenham's losing habit

Tottenham Hotspur have spent close to £400m rebuilding their squad this summer, but their opening Premier League fixture showed that money cannot automatically cure a team's psychological problems. Roberto De Zerbi's side suffered a heavy defeat to Brentford, who led by two goals inside the first half and extended that to three after the break.

De Zerbi, who took charge in March and kept Spurs in the top flight over seven games, admitted his players' physical conditioning was below the required level, partly because several had returned late from the World Cup or were new to the squad. Still, he stressed this could not excuse the team's lack of basic organisation and its inability to win physical duels.

Four new signings made their debuts in the match — Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali, the last of whom cost the club £100m. None of the newcomers stood out, and Tonali in particular was outplayed by Brentford's record signing Mamadou Sangare.

A recurring pattern

Spurs have finished 17th in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons, and this defeat raised concerns that the club's issues run deeper than personnel changes. De Zerbi is now the fourth manager in recent years, following Ange Postecoglou, Thomas Frank and the brief tenure of Igor Tudor.

De Zerbi said he was surprised by the result and performance, noting the team failed to establish the right principles at the start of a new project. He added that he did not want the makeup of the starting eleven to be used as an excuse for future results.