De Zerbi after Brentford defeat: "We are not yet a team"

Tottenham suffered a rough start to the English Premier League season, losing 0-3 away to Brentford. The result came despite the club spending more than 300 million pounds on new signings over the summer transfer window. Five of the six new arrivals featured in the match, but their presence was not enough to prevent a heavy defeat.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said Tottenham looked on the pitch like a group of players lacking cohesion with one another.

Manager's admission

Head coach Roberto de Zerbi spoke candidly after the match, acknowledging that the squad still lacks a genuine sense of unity. He said that before discussing goals or ambitions, the group first needs to become an actual team. The Italian added that several players joined training late after participating in the World Cup, while a pre-season tour to Australia limited the opportunity to properly prepare the full squad.

However, de Zerbi stressed he does not want to use these circumstances as excuses for the difficult start. He described the situation as normal when building a new project and a new process, saying the team must work through these problems rather than dwell on time pressure. He voiced confidence in his players, the club, and himself.

Physical effort and fighting spirit

De Zerbi expressed particular disappointment with the team's physical performance and competitiveness. He said Tottenham lost too many individual duels, were frequently second to loose balls, and failed to execute high pressing effectively. The coach admitted the team did not fight hard enough for second balls and did not win a single one, calling it a difficult admission to make.