Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has issued an official apology to the club's fans following a humiliating 0-3 defeat to Brentford in their Premier League opener. The Italian acknowledged that his players failed miserably in physical battles and duels.
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, the Spurs boss analysed the reasons behind the disappointing performance:
We struggled physically, but we were aware of that prior to the match. We weren't prepared to compete in duels; we made numerous errors in pressing timing, particularly with Mikey Moore against the left centre-back. We were too often late and lost too many duels to compete with Brentford. I’m very sorry, and I apologise for this defeat.
De Zerbi emphasised that the team, filled with a number of new signings, will need time to adapt:
I know we need to improve our physical condition and organisation, especially since there were many new players on the pitch. But this is just the first game, part of our journey. We knew it would take two things to build a team: soul and style of play. Today we had soul, but ultimately we fought incorrectly. Brentford are one of the strongest teams in the Premier League in terms of duels. If you analyse the match, you’ll see how many duels we lost in the first half, which set the tone for their game. However, I believe in my players.
