Roberto De Zerbi risks surpassing the £400 million mark in overhauling Tottenham's squad, but the opening Premier League match has shown that no amount of financial investment can instantly erase a deep-rooted loser’s mentality. The Italian manager, who admitted after his emergency appointment in March that he has to play more of a psychologist than a coach, only managed to save Spurs from relegation on the final day of last season against Everton.
Despite the board allocating a hefty transfer budget to avoid a repeat of the nightmarish past two seasons where the club finished 17th, Tottenham’s alarming capitulation under pressure against Brentford revealed a hard truth: resilience and character simply can’t be bought on the transfer market.
In a candid post-match chat on Match of the Day, De Zerbi acknowledged Brentford's superiority in key aspects of the game:
It was a terrible match. We lost and failed to compete in duels, which was key to the game. We didn’t fight correctly. Full credit to the opponent, as battling in duels is Brentford's strongest quality. The physical condition of not all players was at the required level, given many returned later after the World Cup, and with several newcomers in the squad and starting XI. But we need to analyse this match more deeply, because performing like this is unacceptable.
With optimism from the away fans at the Gtech Community Stadium dissipating by the 49th minute, Michael Kayode put Brentford 3-0 ahead. Earlier, Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring in the 12th minute, and Vitaly Janelt doubled the host's advantage before halftime. It could have been even worse for Spurs if Brentford's designated penalty taker, Igor Thiago, hadn't struck the post from the spot.
De Zerbi opted to start four newcomers—Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Sandro Tonali. The Italian midfielder, signed from Newcastle for £100 million, was completely overshadowed by the hosts’ record signing Mamadou Sangare, who was named Man of the Match, while Tonali's only notable effort sailed high into the stands. The introduction of Mateus Fernandes, signed from West Ham for £85 million, also failed to make a difference.
Even a double substitution at halftime that saw Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall replaced failed to spark any semblance of a comeback. Watching the visitors’ collapse from the stands was rock musician Jon Bon Jovi, while the scene on the pitch felt like a grim continuation of the team’s woes under Ange Postecoglou, Thomas Frank, and Igor Tudor.
Summarising the team’s dire condition, De Zerbi stated:
I was surprised by the result and the quality of play. I knew we weren’t in optimal condition, but we’re not looking for excuses. I apologise for the result and the performance. We are launching a new project and have yet to find our basic principles. Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Sandro Tonali are not in the best physical shape; we knew this before the match. We need to improve in this area along with many others, such as organisation and pressing. I don’t want to excuse ourselves by saying the starting eleven lacked the fight needed for a result. Brentford's fighting spirit was brilliant, and that should serve as a proper example for us.
The Italian manager faces the monumental task of integrating newcomers like Savinho and potentially Omar Marmush while swiftly breaking the damaging culture of defeat that has become second nature at the club.
