Tottenham's Struggles Exposed by Brentford in De Zerbi's Debut
Tottenham’s new era began with a thud, not a bang. Three goals conceded, none scored, and a manager who walked into the press room and said it out loud: “We are not a team yet.”
At the Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford dismantled Spurs 3-0, exposing every loose seam in Roberto De Zerbi’s fledgling project. For a club that flirted dangerously with relegation last season and is preparing to spend more than £300m this summer, this was a brutal reminder that money alone doesn’t organise a press, win a duel or track a runner.
Brentford, sharper and hungrier, simply overran them.
“We didn’t win one duel, one tackle”
De Zerbi did not bother dressing it up. He sounded angry, but mostly disappointed.
“We are not a team yet for a lot of reasons,” the Tottenham manager said. “Before you become a team you can’t say what you can do. We are not in the right physical condition for a lot of reasons.”
He pointed to a disrupted build-up. Some players returned late from the World Cup. The pre-season tour to Australia, he suggested, did not give him the work he needed.
“In Australia we don’t work in the right way but it is not excuses. It is a normal situation when building a new project.
“I don’t want time but we have to pass through these problems. I cannot lose confidence in my players. I believe in my players, my club, myself. We are working well. We have to improve quickly.
“We could fight stronger than we did today. We lost too many duels today. We arrived second in the second balls. We didn’t win one second ball, one duel, one tackle.”
That, more than the scoreline, cut to the heart of his frustration. Spurs were outfought. Outrun. Outmuscled.
New faces, same old fragility
Tottenham’s starting XI carried the excitement of a rebuild. Debuts for Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali signalled a club trying to accelerate the process.
They are close to bolstering the attack too, with Omar Marmoush and Savinho expected to arrive from Manchester City. On paper, it looks like a squad being aggressively upgraded.
On grass, it looked like strangers.
“There are steps to become better,” De Zerbi said. “Now the target is to become a team. You can’t become a team from the transfer market on paper. You become a team when the players find a connection, a spirit, a soul. It’s a project.”
He also highlighted key absences. Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso and Micky van de Ven were all missing. Rodrigo Bentancur, who only made the bench, came back late in pre-season and is still playing catch-up.
Even so, the manager’s words made clear he expects more, regardless of who is available.
Brentford’s statement start
While Spurs wrestled with their identity, Brentford looked like a side that knows exactly what it is.
Keith Andrews, heading into his second year in charge, watched his team dominate and punish a brittle opponent. Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode all found the net, each goal another blow to Tottenham’s fragile confidence.
In midfield, Mamadou Sangaré announced himself. The £39m signing from Lens produced an outstanding debut, snapping into challenges, driving play, and giving Brentford a powerful axis around which everything else revolved.
“The club deserve a lot of credit for getting that deal done,” Andrews said of Sangaré. “You’ve seen today what he’s capable of, the attributes he has. It adds to a talented midfield. I really enjoyed his performance today. He’s slotted in really well. He’s a humble young man who’s very, very hungry.”
Hungry. That word hung in the air, a pointed contrast to De Zerbi’s lament about lost duels and second balls.
Brentford leave opening weekend with momentum and belief. Tottenham leave with questions, bruises and a manager insisting he still believes in the project – but demanding that his players start behaving like a team, not a collection of signings.
