Roberto De Zerbi points out three players who had a tough game in Brentford loss and shares a surprising opinion about them.
Tottenham’s head coach Roberto De Zerbi said that summer signing Sandro Tonali and two other players had a tough time physically during their opening game loss to Brentford.
It was a tough day for Tottenham, who spent big this summer. Brentford’s goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt, and Michael Kayode earned them a well-deserved win at the Gtech.
Even though it’s early in the season, Tottenham’s fans had high hopes after the club spent over £200 million on six new first-team players. Andrew Robertson, who joined for free from Liverpool, played in defense alongside Jan Paul van Hecke, a £52 million signing from Brighton. Club record signing Sandro Tonali started his first match but struggled at times, especially against Mamadou Sangare, another new signing for Brentford who controlled the midfield.
On the bright side, Mateus Fernandes, who came on in the second half, showed hints of why Tottenham paid £85 million to bring him in.
De Zerbi wasn’t happy with the result or how the team played and didn’t try to hide his disappointment. After the game, he said, “It was a bad game. We lost because we didn’t fight hard enough in the key moments. Maybe credit to Brentford—they showed their best quality.”
He explained that many players were not in top physical shape because some joined later after the World Cup, and there are many new players in the squad. “We have to study this game carefully. We can’t play like this against teams like Brentford. I’m surprised and sorry about this performance. We’re starting a new project, and we didn’t find our rhythm today.”
De Zerbi added that Tonali, Marcos Senesi, and Jan Paul van Hecke were not yet fully fit. “We knew that before the game. We have to improve many things, like how we organize ourselves and press during the game. I’m confident in the players, and we hope to get better quickly.”
Despite the loss, Tonali stayed positive about Tottenham’s future and spoke highly of De Zerbi. “He’s giving a lot to all of us. He knows it’s going to take time but is very positive. He loves the team and is rebuilding the spirit that faded over the last few seasons,” Tonali told Italy’s Sky Sport.
Tonali added, “Losing is hard, but it’s good to see everyone cares and is united. Now, we just have to keep working together and stay strong.”