Glenn Hoddle has taken issue with Roberto De Zerbi's comments about Mikey Moore after Tottenham's crushing 3-0 defeat to Brentford. The ex-Spurs boss feels the Italian manager unfairly highlighted the young player, while the team as a whole struggled with pressing.
Tottenham stumbled in their opening match of the Premier League season, conceding three unanswered goals. Following the match, De Zerbi acknowledged that his side lost battles in duels and were frequently slow to apply pressure:
We were not ready to compete in duels. We made too many mistakes in choosing the right moment to press, including from Mikey Moore. We were far too often late. We lost too many duels to compete with Brentford.
Hoddle believes that the coach effectively isolated the 19-year-old, despite the fact that the problems ran much deeper:
I think they struggled with Archie Gray and Mikey Moore on the right flank. They weren't pressing together. I believe that’s what De Zerbi meant, but he did single out Mikey a bit too much.
If you want to press, it has to be a team effort. There’s no point when one player goes forward on their own. It’s unnecessary for the coach to single one player out.
The former Tottenham manager further argued that the team attempted to play out from the back too stubbornly, despite the hosts’ aggressive pressing:
The first 20 minutes away at Brentford are always going to be tough. Why not play simpler and longer in that situation, move the game to their half, and once the match opens up a bit, then start to break lines through passing?
But from the first minute, Tottenham decided to play one way only, and Brentford said, ‘Thank you very much’ – they just suffocated them with their pressing.
