Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham side were battered and bruised 3-0 by Brentford.
Roberto De Zerbi saw his expensively assembled Tottenham Hotspur side comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Brentford in their opening game of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode all scored on the evening, as Brentford beat Spurs at home for the first time since 1948. The expensive summer rebuild was shaken to its core by the rampant Bees, leaving Roberto De Zerbi clueless and dejected on the touchline.
Roberto De Zerbi says trio were not in best physical condition to start vs. Brentford
Tottenham have breached the £230million mark on new faces this summer in a bid to move on from last season’s scrape with relegation. Six players have been brought in thus far, with four of those starting at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Jan Paul van Hecke partnered Marcos Senesi in central defence, with Andy Robertson operating at left-back. Club-record signing Sandro Tonali marshalled the midfield, with Mateus Fernandes starting on the bench. Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi struggled to contain Igor Thiago throughout the evening.
The Brentford marksman was a real handful for the Tottenham pair with his physicality and hold-up play. Andy Robertson was run ragged by Dango Ouattara, and the Scot moved to right-back when Destiny Udogie entered the fray in the latter stages of the game. Sandro Tonali endured a forgettable debut in a Spurs shirt as he couldn’t control the pace of the game, lost aerial and ground duels and ceded possession multiple times in the middle of the park.
After the game, De Zerbi admitted that Senesi, Van Hecke and Tonali were not in their peak fitness levels to compete against the Brentford players. The Italian boss added that he and his coaching staff have a lot of confidence in all of the players, but accepted the team did not fight enough on the day.
“Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali are not in the best physical condition. We knew that before the game. We have to improve on that and many other things, like organisation and pressing,” De Zerbi said in an interview with BBC Match of the Day (h/t BBC Sport).
“We can improve quickly, but first, we have to understand this game better. I know their physical condition and new players, but we have to put something more. We had to fight more. Players know I have a lot of confidence in them, and we hope to improve quickly.”
De Zerbi will be desperate for an improved display in the League Cup
Senesi, Van Hecke and Tonali were underwhelming against Brentford. Given their World Cup commitments and late arrival to pre-season, the disjointed displays of Van Hecke and Senesi can be understandable. However, in Tonali’s case, it was extremely poor, especially when he had a summer break and participated throughout the pre-season. For a £100million player, it was nowhere near good enough.
Nonetheless, it was a total collective and tactical failure at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Brentford players simply want more, outclassing the Lilywhites in every department on the pitch. De Zerbi would be incensed with the number of mistakes his players made, both in and out of possession.
The 47-year-old will want a rousing response from his boys in midweek when Spurs take on Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup second round.
