Tottenham Hotspur begin a new era under Roberto De Zerbi when they travel to Brentford on Saturday, with the Italian tasked with building on last season's dramatic escape from relegation. Spurs secured their Premier League survival only on the final day of the previous campaign, and De Zerbi has since overseen a remarkable shift in mood around the club.
The club moved quickly in the transfer market, completing the signings of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke by the first week of July. Free transfers Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have also arrived, fuelling talk of a European push.
Transfer window addresses squad issues
De Zerbi has been heavily involved in hand-picking each target, with clear roles identified for every new arrival. Fernandes brings composure under pressure, Van Hecke offers line-breaking passes, and Robertson provides leadership. Manchester City duo Savinho and Omar Marmoush are also expected to join to bolster attacking options.
The Italian's tactics are intricate and take time to bed in, so he places great emphasis on making details digestible for his players. Every decision is explained, and the squad has been talked through the reasoning behind each action.
Injury concerns ahead of Brentford clash
However, injury problems continue to frustrate De Zerbi. Newly announced captain Micky van de Ven and vice-captain Pedro Porro will both miss the Brentford match. Both players returned late from the World Cup, and Van de Ven is struggling with an issue from the pre-season tour of Australia.
“He suffered a problem during the pre-season (tour) of Australia,” De Zerbi said. “I don’t know if it was the flight, but not a big problem. We have Senesi, we have Ben Davies, and in the right condition to play the game (against Brentford).”
Porro has only recently returned to training after winning the World Cup with Spain.
Caution learned from past struggles
De Zerbi is not prepared to take risks with player fitness, having been scarred by the injury situation he inherited when he took over at the end of March. Lessons are being learned after successive 17th-place finishes, but with Savinho and Marmoush not yet registered, Spurs still look light in attack.
Brentford have European aspirations of their own and are physically prepared after a week-long training camp in Portugal. Keith Andrews' side boast club-record signing Mamadou Sangare in midfield.
Spurs have won just one of their five Premier League trips to Brentford, making the Gtech Community Stadium a tricky opening examination. De Zerbi will see this as the first opportunity to deliver on his promise of a new dawn for the club.
