'We didn't fight in the right way' - De Zerbi admits Spurs were not ready for Brentford battle

Tottenham's new era under De Zerbi began in disappointing fashion as they were soundly beaten in west London, falling 3-0 to goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt, and Michael Kayode. The Italian manager was quick to identify why his side fell short against Keith Andrews's clinical Bees, highlighting a lack of physical presence across the pitch.

'We suffered physically but we knew that before the game,' De Zerbi told Sky Sports. 'We were not ready to fight the duels. 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. 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.'

Spurs slumped to a heavy 3-0 defeat, matching their joint-worst opening-day result in Premier League history - a record last set against Manchester United in 2011-12. The humbling loss came as a sharp reality check despite high expectations under De Zerbi, who was brought in to steer the club away from another grueling campaign after last season's relegation scare was only avoided on the final day.

Reflecting on the specifics of the performance, the manager added: 'I believe in my players. Especially in the first half, we were not in the right position to make the right pressure. 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.'

Optimism was running high for Spurs ahead of the new Premier League campaign following a massive £237m summer rebuild. De Zerbi immediately threw four new signings into the starting lineup, featuring £100m marquee addition Sandro Tonali in midfield alongside a revamped backline of Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Jan Paul van Hecke.

'The first XI should be able to compete normally if the game went in this way,' De Zerbi insisted. '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. 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.'

The 3-0 scoreline was a harsh reminder of the work required, yet the former Brighton boss was not entirely surprised by the nature of the challenges his team faced. With the season only just beginning, the focus now shifts to a busy period where Spurs will look to bounce back and earn their first points of the campaign against Newcastle United at home on August 29. Before that league fixture, they have an immediate opportunity to reset their course when they host Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

The Italian concluded his assessment by stating: 'I expected better for sure. I didn't expect this result but I knew the problems we would find today.' While Brentford beat Tottenham convincingly to secure all three points, Spurs have an immediate opportunity to reset their course.