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Spurs lose 3-0
Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League opener ended in a 3-0 drubbing at Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, with the match exposing “familiar shortcomings” despite a spending spree set to go past £300 million.
“set to go past £300 million ($409.08 million)”
CNA said Brentford outplayed Spurs in west London, with Mamadou Sangare setting up Vitaly Janelt’s second goal, while Tottenham failed to have a shot on target in the first half and should have lost by a wider margin.
The BBC reported that De Zerbi pointed to a lack of physical conditioning, saying “We lost and suffered the difference in the duels. It was the key of this game. We didn't fight in the right way.”
De Zerbi also said Spurs’ physical condition was not at the right level because “many came later after the World Cup and there were many new players in the squad and first XI,” and he added Spurs “have to analyse this game better because we can't play this way in this type of game.”
De Zerbi admits undercooked
After the 3-0 defeat, Roberto De Zerbi told The Irish News that Tottenham were “not (a) team yet” and “not at the right point in physical condition,” describing the opening day as an alarming start to his Premier League tenure.
The Irish News also quoted De Zerbi saying “no excuse” for the performance, while he argued “When you are building a new project I don’t want time, but we have to pass through these problems.”
CNA framed the match as a test of whether new signings could close the gap, noting Spurs included four new signings in the starting lineup—Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson—while £85 million midfielder Mateus Fernandes made his debut after the break.
The BBC added that De Zerbi’s cash alone could not fix Spurs’ “losing mentality,” and it described how the day began with optimism at The Gtech Community Stadium and ended with players applauding empty seats as Michael Kayode put Brentford 3-0 up in the 49th minute.
What’s at stake next
With Spurs’ rebuild already described as “expensive” and set to top £300 million, the immediate consequence is that De Zerbi must turn the squad into a team quickly after Brentford’s goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode.
“The target is to become (a) team. To find the spirit, the soul, is a process.”
CNA said De Zerbi was “handsomely backed” after saving Spurs from relegation in seven games last season, but it also noted injuries left Spurs without newly named skipper Micky van de Ven and World Cup winning defender Pedro Porro.
The Irish News reported that Spurs gave debuts to five players and that they look set to top the £300million mark once they complete deals for Savinho and Omar Marmoush, with De Zerbi saying the target is “to become (a) team.”
The BBC concluded that De Zerbi will have to “turn psychologist once more” because the new Spurs looked like the old Spurs as they were dismantled in west London, with the match providing “gruesome evidence that you need more than a huge transfer fund to give a team mental strength.”