De Zerbi admits money alone cannot cure Spurs after heavy defeat at Brentford

Roberto De Zerbi saw his Tottenham Hotspur side suffer a heavy defeat at Brentford's The Gtech Community Stadium on the opening day of the Premier League season, despite a rebuild that may cost close to £400m.

De Zerbi has acknowledged his role as more psychologist than coach after being given seven games to keep Spurs in the top flight following his appointment in March, a task he completed with victory against Everton on the final day. The club has received substantial funds to recruit new players intended to prevent a repeat of last season's problems, but this heavy opening-day loss was not the start the manager or the club's decision-makers expected.

De Zerbi singled out a failure in duels and physical readiness as central reasons for the result, saying: "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. "Our physical condition was not in 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."

Supporters arrived at The Gtech Community Stadium optimistic about the new recruits but many seats were empty by the end, with some fans leaving as early as the 49th minute when Michael Kayode made it 3-0. A penalty from Igor Thiago struck the post and so avoided making the margin even greater.

De Zerbi handed debuts to Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali; none stood out. The report notes Tonali cost "£100m from Newcastle United" and was outshone and overpowered by Brentford's record signing Mamadou Sangare, while Tonali's first-half attempt flew high and drew taunts from Brentford supporters.

Substitute Matheus Fernades, described as arriving "at £85m from West Ham United," came on later in the game, and the article mentions Savinho and "possibly Omar Marmoush" as additional signings who could strengthen the squad; however the coverage emphasises a lack of heart and fight as the primary concern. From the first minute Spurs were exposed by Brentford pressure, with De Zerbi animated on the touchline as his players struggled to respond.

Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring after 12 minutes and Vitaly Janelt doubled Brentford's lead before half-time, with Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall not returning after the interval. De Zerbi declined to accept squad selection as an excuse, saying: "I don't want the excuse that the first XI was not enough to compete and get a result. Brentford's spirit on the pitch was great, it has to be the right example for us."

De Zerbi later added: "I am surprised for 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 principle." He also stated: "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 defeat underlined that new signings alone did not resolve deeper issues within the squad; the article concludes that De Zerbi must banish the ghosts of two seasons littered with losses and change a culture in which defeats like this have become commonplace.