Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi says his side must develop greater fight and a clearer playing style after beginning the new Premier League season with a 3-0 defeat by Brentford.
De Zerbi admitted Tottenham are “not a complete team yet” following a poor display at the Gtech Community Stadium, where Brentford were deserved winners.
“We need to build a long-term foundation for the club,” said De Zerbi. “We need Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. We must fight for the present while planning for the future.”
Tottenham were behind after 12 minutes when Yoane Wissa found space outside the penalty area and passed to Bryan Mbeumo, who finished unmarked.
The visitors then conceded a second goal after Richarlison failed to control the ball and Lucas Bergvall lost possession to Mathias Jensen. Fraser Forster saved Jensen’s shot, but the rebound fell to Vitaly Janelt, who scored from close range.
Brentford added a third four minutes after the interval. Forster stopped Wissa’s close-range effort, but Mads Roerslev headed in the loose ball.
Tottenham were given a chance to reduce the deficit when Rodrigo Bentancur fouled Schade in the penalty area. However, Janelt’s penalty hit the left post and bounced clear.
De Zerbi said Tottenham’s preparations had been disrupted by players returning late after the World Cup and by extensive travel during their training camp in Australia.
“Our physical condition is certainly not at its best for several reasons,” he said. “We made many compromises to avoid risks, but these are not excuses.”
The former manager said such problems were normal during the early stages of a new project, adding that he retained faith in his players, the club and himself.
He also accepted that Tottenham should have competed more effectively, saying they lost too many individual battles and made repeated mistakes when pressing.
“We were always one step too slow to the second balls; we didn’t win a single second ball, duel, or tackle, which made the game very difficult,” he said.
De Zerbi defended Bergvall despite withdrawing him at half-time after the midfielder’s mistake contributed to the second goal.
“Lucas Bergvall was at fault for the second goal, and although I substituted him at halftime, I don’t think his overall performance was poor,” he said. “In two years’ time, he won’t lose the ball so easily in that situation; development takes time.”
The Spurs boss also rejected the suggestion that the result showed Tottenham needed more experienced forwards, despite the involvement of young players including Mikey Moore and Mats Tel.
He said the same considerations applied to Archie Gray and other new arrivals, including Tonali, Senesi and van Hecke, who all needed time to establish an understanding with their team-mates.
De Zerbi said he was surprised and “deeply disappointed” by the result, particularly because of Tottenham’s stronger form towards the end of last season. He highlighted the scale of the changes in defence: last season Tottenham used Porro, Romero, Van de Ven and Udogie, while the starting defensive unit against Brentford consisted of Archie Gray, van Hecke, Senesi and Robertson.
In midfield, he chose Bergvall ahead of Bentancur and Palhinha because Bentancur had returned late for pre-season and the team had been training with Bergvall. De Zerbi acknowledged that the 20-year-old could struggle more than the 29-year-old Bentancur in a match of such intensity, but said the decision was reasonable at this stage of the project.
“Looking purely at today’s result and performance, I completely understand the fans’ disappointment,” he said. “Brentford deserved the victory; our performance was very poor.”
De Zerbi believes the defeat could serve as an early warning. He said a strong team requires two fundamental qualities: fighting spirit and a clear style of play. Tottenham showed neither against Brentford, he added, whether in possession or without the ball.
“This loss is important; it may wake us up sooner than expected,” he said.
The manager said Archie Gray could operate either as a full-back or in midfield, but admitted his performance was below his usual level. He stressed, however, that the club’s view of Gray, Richarlison and Tel would not change because of one match, adding that van Hecke, Tonali and Richarlison were also below their normal standards.
Despite calling for patience, De Zerbi said Tottenham’s true level was significantly higher than their performance in west London.
“From Wednesday onwards, we will show our real quality and reveal the team’s identity,” he said.
He added that even victories on Wednesday or against Newcastle next Saturday would not remove the need for further work. Tottenham must analyse their weaknesses, understand their current position and continue improving collectively, he said.
On set pieces, De Zerbi acknowledged that Brentford are among the Premier League’s strongest teams in that area. Tottenham have also lost Carlos Romero and Palhinha, two important performers in their set-piece work.
However, he said Tottenham’s main problem was not defending set plays but being out-fought in duels and second balls.
