Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi did not hide his disappointment after his side suffered a 3-0 defeat to Brentford in the opening match of the Premier League season. The Italian coach said the loss highlighted the fact that his heavily revamped squad is still "not a team yet" despite a summer of record‑breaking spending.
De Zerbi also acknowledged that his players lacked the necessary fighting spirit, and he suggested that the squad was still too raw to compete at the highest level. His comments were echoed by former England international Jamie Redknapp, who described the Spurs lineup as a "team of strangers" that had not yet found any cohesion.
Spurs have already spent well over £300 million this window, with high‑profile targets such as Manchester City youngsters Savinho and Omar Marmoush reportedly close to completion. Yet, even with five of the six new signings featuring against Brentford, the team looked disjointed and vulnerable, succumbing to a comprehensive defeat that reminded many of the club's back‑to‑back 17th‑place finishes before they narrowly avoided relegation last season. Speaking to the media after the match, De Zerbi said: "I think we are not a team yet, for a lot of reasons.
We can set ambitions only when we become a unit. Until then, it's difficult to predict what we can achieve." He went on to explain that the squad's physical condition was not optimal, largely because many players arrived late after the World Cup and the pre‑season tour in Australia did not allow sufficient time to integrate everyone properly. "We didn't take the right risks in preparation, and that shows," he added.
He stressed that these issues were not excuses but rather the normal growing pains of a new project: "Building a new process takes time. I don't want more time, but we have to get through these problems." De Zerbi reaffirmed his belief in his players, the club, and himself, recalling his comments after the final pre‑season friendly against Hoffenheim: "We were late for the start of the Premier League, but it's a step forward; we must improve quickly." Analyzing the match, De Zerbi admitted the team could have fought harder. "We lost too many duels, made too many mistakes when we tried to increase pressure, and failed to win a single second ball, duel or tackle. That is tough to accept." He concluded that the immediate priority is to forge a genuine team spirit, something that cannot be bought in the transfer market.
"You become a team when the players find connections, develop a shared spirit, and create a soul. It is a process." Redknapp was equally blunt in his assessment.
"You could call them a team of strangers; they didn't have the chemistry when Jan‑Paul Van Hecke and Marcos Senesi tried to form a partnership," he said. He criticised the lack of duel‑winning ability, the absence of creativity from Conor Gallagher in the number ten role, and the overall disappointment of the performance. "The hope is that Tottenham will look completely different in six weeks, but today they missed all the fundamentals needed to win a match." Tottenham's next challenge comes in the Carabao Cup second round on Wednesday, when they host Championship side Charlton Athletic.
A victory there would be a morale‑boosting step before the Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Saturday, both fixtures to be televised on Sky Sports. De Zerbi reflected on the broader picture, stating: "To become a team, we need two key ingredients: a clear identity and a style of play. Today we lacked both the soul and the quality of play, with and without the ball.
When we find those, we will become dangerous for anyone. Until then, we must endure some growing‑pain." He added that despite the heavy loss, the experience could make the squad stronger: "Maybe this defeat wakes us up and we become better than we thought." The second goal for Brentford came after Lucas Bergvall's pass set up Mathias Jensen, whose shot was saved, allowing Vitaly Janelt to score on the rebound. Bergvall, who was substituted at halftime for Rodrigo Bentancur, struggled with Brentford's physicality.
De Zerbi explained that he anticipated the 20‑year‑old would find the match demanding, but felt Bentancur, at 29, was not fit enough to start. He also outlined the defensive changes from last season: "The back line now includes Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie, while today we started Archie Gray, JP Van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson – four newcomers." In midfield, the shift was from Bentancur and Joao Palhinha to Bergvall and Tonali, with Bentancur missing out due to his late pre‑season arrival. De Zerbi defended his decision to start Bergvall, saying it was appropriate for the early stage of the project, but acknowledged the youngster's inexperience: "In two years he will not lose the ball in that situation." He further noted that the defensive line last season consisted of Porro, Danso, van de Ven and Udogie, whereas today's lineup featured Gray, Van Hecke, Senesi and Robertson – a clear sign of the overhaul underway.
"Even if we suffer defeat, it is part of the process. We must build something good for the club and stick to the plan." A notable moment from the match was the appointment of 20‑year‑old Archie Gray as Spurs' youngest ever captain in a competitive game, stepping in for the absent new skipper Micky van de Ven. Playing at right‑back because Pedro Porro was still recovering from his World Cup duties, Gray admitted the side lacked fight: "We lost too many duels. They simply out‑worked us across the park.
We need to review the footage and improve." He also expressed his disappointment at letting the fans down: "For the supporters, there are no words. We let them down in the first game, and that hurts." In summary, De Zerbi's message was clear: Tottenham are in a rebuilding phase, and the early season loss, while painful, is a stepping stone toward creating a cohesive unit. The club's massive summer investment must now be translated into on‑field chemistry, a defined playing style, and the intangible "soul" that distinguishes a true team from a collection of individuals.
The coming weeks in the cup and league will be crucial tests of whether the new signings can gel quickly enough to fulfill the high expectations set by the spending spree.