Roberto De Zerbi criticised three Tottenham players for their poor physical condition and singled out another for costly mistakes after Spurs suffered a 3-0 defeat to Brentford in their Premier League opener at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode handed the Bees a dream start to the season, while Tottenham, who have spent over £200m on new signings this summer, endured a nightmare opening weekend.
De Zerbi names three signings not physically ready
Speaking to the BBC after the match, De Zerbi said: ‘Bad game. We lost and suffered the difference in the duels. It was the key of this game. We didn’t fight in the right way. Maybe credit to them because it’s the best quality Brentford have.’
He added: ‘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.’
The Italian coach acknowledged that many players arrived late after the World Cup and that numerous new faces were in the squad and starting XI. ‘Our physical condition was not at the right level for all players because many came later after the World Cup and there were many new players in the squad and first XI. But we have to analyse this game better because we can’t play this way in this type of game,’ he said.
Moore and Bergvall under scrutiny
Nineteen-year-old winger Mikey Moore started the match but came in for criticism from his manager. De Zerbi said: ‘I think we made a lot of mistakes in the timing of the pressure with Mikey Moore in the left centre, we arrived too many times late. We lost too many duels to compete with Brentford, I’m sorry for that, I’m sorry for the defeat.’
Lucas Bergvall was substituted at half-time after giving the ball away in the build-up to Janelt’s goal. De Zerbi admitted he expected the 20-year-old to struggle but defended his decision to start him. ‘I knew before the game, Lucas Bergvall, in this type of game, maybe he could suffer more than Rodrigo Bentancur, 9 years older, and Lucas, 20. I knew before the game, but at the end you have to think,’ he said.
De Zerbi also explained that Bentancur, his natural replacement, was not ready to start because he came late to pre-season. ‘Two midfielders – Rodrigo Bentancur and [Joao] Palhinha. Today, two midfielders, Bergvall, why not Bentancur? Because he came late in the pre-season. In the pre-season, we worked with Lucas Bergvall,’ he said.
Defensive line overhaul and new project
The Spurs boss highlighted the wholesale changes in defence, comparing last season’s back four of Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie with today’s line-up of Archie Gray, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson – four new players.
‘We go, and we try to build something good for the club. We need also Archie Gray, we need also Lucas Bergvall, or we work for today. And tomorrow, I don’t know,’ De Zerbi said.
Despite the defeat, De Zerbi defended Bergvall’s overall performance. ‘Lucas Bergvall, the second goal. I think he didn’t play bad today, even if I substituted in the half-time. But Lucas Bergvall in the next two years, he will not lose that ball in that moment of the game. But there are steps to become better,’ he said.
De Zerbi concluded: ‘I am surprised by the result and performance. I knew we were not in the right condition. We can’t find an excuse. I am sorry for the result and performance. We are starting a new project and we couldn’t find the principal.’
