Manager's Analysis of Defeat to Brentford: Key Issues Identified
The verdict from the dressing room was blunt: this was a bad game, and the players were second best in every duel.
The manager did not sugar-coat a bruising defeat to Brentford, repeatedly pointing to his side’s failure to compete physically as the decisive factor.
“We lost and suffered the difference in the duels. It was the key of this game. We didn't fight in the right way,” he admitted, conceding that Brentford’s trademark intensity had overwhelmed his team. “Maybe credit to them because it's the best quality Brentford have.”
A disjointed performance, littered with late challenges and mistimed presses, exposed a squad still feeling the after-effects of a fractured pre-season. Several players arrived late after the World Cup, others are only just bedding in, and the starting XI looked miles from its peak.
“Our physical condition was not at the right level for all players because many came later after the World Cup and there were many new players in the squad and first XI,” he said. “But we have to analyse this game better because we can't play this way in this type of game.”
The result, and the manner of it, clearly stung.
“I am surprised by the result and performance. I knew we were not in the right condition. We can't find an excuse. I am sorry for the result and performance. We are starting a new project and we couldn't find the principal.”
Key names are short of their best. Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali were all flagged as below the required physical level, an issue the staff were aware of before kick-off.
“Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali are not in the best physical condition. We knew that before the game. We have to improve on that and many other things, like organisation and pressing.”
That lack of sharpness fed directly into the tactical problems. The press was off, the distances were wrong, and Brentford took full advantage.
“We can improve quickly but first, we have to understand this game better,” he insisted. “I know their physical condition and new players but we have to put something more. We had to fight more. Players know I have a lot of confidence in them and we hope to improve quickly.”
The defeat will inevitably trigger questions about recruitment, but the manager refused to hide behind the need for more signings or a deeper bench.
“I don't want the excuse that the first XI was not enough to compete and get a result. Brentford's spirit on the pitch was great, it has to be the right example for us.”
The pattern of the match only underlined that point. Brentford won the collisions, controlled the second balls and punished every hesitation.
“We suffered physically but we knew that before the game. We were not ready to fight the duels,” he said. “We made a lot of mistakes in the timing of the pressure with Mikey Moore. We arrived too many times late and we lost too many duels to compete with Brentford.”
Again, the apology came quickly, but so did a clear diagnosis: fitness, organisation, and collective aggression must rise, and fast.
“I am sorry for the defeat. I know we have to improve in our physical condition, in the organisation. There were many new players but it was the first game. It's part of our journey. With a lot of new players, we knew we needed soul and style of play to become a team. Today I think there was the soul but we didn't fight in the right way.”
Why that fight never truly surfaced, especially early on, will dominate the inquest.
“Especially in the first half, we were not in the right position to make the right pressure,” he explained. “If you analyse the game, you can see how many duels we lost in the first half when the game went in Brentford's direction.
“We didn't play well. We didn't fight in the right way. Not because we didn't remember the last season. Because these players are good people and with value and memory. But we lost too many duels.”
Despite the poor start, he pushed back against the idea of sweeping changes to the line-up. For him, the answers lie in work, not wholesale rotation.
“The first XI should be able to compete normally if the game went in this way. I don't lose confidence in my players and these people. We have to work and improve, analyse the game better and find the improvement.”
He stressed that the broader project remains on track, even as this performance exposed obvious flaws.
“We have to analyse this game. We cannot destroy everything because we are working well. Physical condition is not the same for all players because many started the season later.
“I don't want to make excuses but we need to keep improving. We need to find the right spirit to fight but today, it wasn't there. I expected better for sure. I didn't expect this result but I knew the problems we would find today.”
The message was clear: the soul might be there, but until the legs and the duels catch up, nights like this will keep asking hard questions of a “new project” still trying to find its edge.
