Tottenham Hotspur dropped their opening Premier League match on August 22, getting absolutely hammered 3-0 by Brentford, and manager Roberto de Zerbi didn’t mince words after the final whistle. He called it a “bad game,” plain and simple, pointing directly to how his squad “suffered the difference in the duels.” He felt the team “didn’t fight in the right way,” and frankly, he was “surprised by the result and performance” despite knowing his players weren’t in peak physical shape.
De Zerbi Demands More Fight Amidst Fitness Woes
It sounds like De Zerbi saw a complete breakdown in the fundamentals. He gave credit to Brentford for their quality in duels, but his team’s inability to match that fire clearly stung. The gaffer was quick to mention that “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.” He even named names: Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Sandro Tonali were all not in their best physical condition going into the game. While De Zerbi acknowledged he knew about these issues beforehand, he wasn’t making excuses. He admitted, “We can’t find an excuse. I am sorry for the result and performance.” This team is “starting a new project,” and they couldn’t find “the principal” on the pitch. He knows they need to improve their physical condition, organization, and pressing, but he still has a lot of confidence in his squad and hopes they can improve quickly.
Archie Gray: A Historic Captaincy Tarnished by Defeat
Midfielder Archie Gray echoed his manager’s sentiments, admitting that on some days “a team can outfight another team,” and that “it’s on us.” He, too, refused to make excuses about fitness, stating flat out, “I don’t think there’s any excuses to be honest.” Gray felt the team “got out-fought” and acknowledged “we’ve got work to do.” This bitter loss was also a significant, if unfortunate, moment for Gray personally. At just 20 years and 163 days old, he became the youngest player ever to start a Premier League match for Tottenham as captain, surpassing Harry Kane’s record from 2015. It was an “amazing moment” and he’s “grateful for the manager for trusting” him, but he conceded, “today wasn’t good enough.” This 3-0 thrashing also marked Tottenham’s joint-heaviest defeat on MD1 of a Premier League season.
The team has a mid-week game on Wednesday, and the pressure is already on. Gray stated the work they do during the week is “about moving in the right direction,” but after this performance, they need to show that direction immediately. De Zerbi doesn’t want the “excuse that the first XI was not enough to compete,” and he pointed to Brentford’s “great” spirit as the “right example” for his squad. They need to find that fight, and fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply