Roberto De Zerbi issued a frank apology following Tottenham Hotspur's opening-day defeat away to Brentford. The 2025 Europa League winners were humbled by the Bees, who netted three times without reply to continue Tottenham's dismal run of form in the Premier League.
After back-to-back 17th-place finishes, Spurs have invested heavily in the playing squad this summer, but things didn't look any better than last season's efforts. In fact, there will be some Tottenham supporters claiming it looked worse, with Brentford having provided an immediate reality check following a busy summer.
De Zerbi's apology and analysis
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Italian remarked: "We suffered physically but we knew that before the game. We were not ready to fight the duels, we made a lot of mistakes in the timing of the pressure with Mikey Moore on the left centre-back. We arrived late too many times, but then we lost too many duels to compete with Brentford. I'm sorry for that, I'm sorry for the defeat."
"I know we have to improve in the physical condition, we have to improve in the organisation because there were many new players. But it's the first game, it's the part of our journey. We knew before the game that with a lot of new players, to become a team we need two things: soul and style of play. Today I think there was the soul, but in the end we didn't fight in the right way for the difference of the duels. Brentford is one of the most important teams in the Premier League in terms of duels. But a fair game."
"I believe in my players. It was a game, especially in the first half in one direction, we were in the right position with high pressure - I said with Mikey Moore. If you analyse the game, you can see how many duels we lost in the first half. The direction of the game went towards Brentford."
Confidence in the squad
He continued: "We didn't remember last season, but all these players are good people and people with values and memory. But we lost too many duels. One of the best qualities of Brentford is the one-to-one, the man-to-man and the set pieces. The first XI was able to compete. Normally, if the game went in this way, now we can say a lot of things. But I don't lose confidence in the players and these people. We have to work, to improve, to analyse better the game and to find the improvement."
"We have to analyse this game. We can't destroy everything because we are working well. We are improving the physical condition. It is not all at the same point because a lot of players started the season late like Senesi, Bergvall and a lot of players. But I don't want excuses, stay focused on the improvement we have to do. The first one is to find the right spirit to fight. Today, not maybe the spirit, but we were not right to fight. Better? For sure. I didn't expect this result. But I knew the problems we could find today. Especially in the duels, like I said."
Match details and upcoming fixtures
After the optimism of the summer transfer window, De Zerbi's new-look Spurs side were humbled just 12 minutes into the contest. Keane Lewis-Potter was on hand to turn home a stylish Brentford move, and while their passing had been precise, the alarm bells were immediately set off, such was the standard of Tottenham's defending.
In need of an immediate reaction, Tottenham began playing with increased intensity, but it just allowed the hosts to pick them off even more. Vitaly Janelt was the next to get his name on the scoresheet, with the attacking midfielder tapping home into an empty net after Antonín Kinsky parried it into his path.
The second half didn't bring any respite for Spurs, given Michael Kayode made it three after another Kinsky error. And if it wasn't for the width of the post, they'd have had a fourth, as Igor Thiago failed to open his account for the campaign from 12 yards, despite sending Kinsky the wrong way.
They'll be involved in midweek cup action against Charlton Athletic, but the fixture list doesn't exactly let up next weekend, as Newcastle United make the trip to north London. Following that, matches against Nottingham Forest, Everton and Aston Villa make for a pretty difficult September.
