adminNew season, fresh faces, but for Tottenham, Saturday felt like a carryover from the 2025/26 campaign.
Traveling across London to face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, Spurs returned home with their heads hung low—despite having shelled out £237 million this summer—after being dismantled 3-0 by a sharp and ruthless Bees side.
Roberto De Zerbi cut a dispirited figure throughout, often captured by Sky Sports cameras slouched in the dugout, seemingly lost for answers or explanations for his team’s flat display. Normally a fiery presence on the touchline—shouting instructions and imposing his tactical vision—the Italian was a shadow of his usual self.
There’s clearly work ahead for De Zerbi on the training pitch. Saturday’s outing in west London had a completely different energy. Yes, it’s only one game, and improvement is likely—otherwise, another relegation scrap could loom—but the manager’s post-match comments are sure to unsettle Tottenham supporters.
His opening remarks in the press conference were especially troubling:
“I think we are not a team yet.”
That’s a chilling admission for fans, especially after a full preseason with the squad. Still, there are extenuating factors.
As De Zerbi elaborated: “For sure, we’re not at the right physical level for many reasons. Some players arrived late after the World Cup, and in Australia we couldn’t train properly due to the travel—we had to avoid risks. These aren’t excuses, just the reality when you’re building something new. I don’t want time, but we have to go through these difficulties.”
Tottenham have already spent heavily and plan to add more firepower, with Savinho and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City expected in the coming days.
There’s been major upheaval, and De Zerbi is right that some players missed key preseason work to fully absorb his methods.
Absentees vs Brentford included:
· Micky van de Ven
· Pedro Porro
· Xavi Simons
· Mohammed Kudus
· Dejan Kulusevski
· Wilson Odobert
Porro, van de Ven, and Kudus could return for next Saturday’s home opener against Newcastle—a welcome boost.
However, with most transfer business wrapped up early, the “not ready” excuse holds less weight. Van de Ven may have picked up an injury post-World Cup, and Porro’s late return stemmed from Spain’s World Cup triumph, but Arsenal fielded Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Martin Zubimendi—all World Cup final-weekend participants—in their Friday win over Coventry, with each contributing.
While De Zerbi’s ominous line may alarm Spurs fans, its final word—“yet”—serves as a warning to the Premier League. Tottenham aren’t finished in the market, and once things click on the pitch, De Zerbi insists he has full faith in his squad.
“I couldn’t lose confidence in my players. I believe in them, I believe in my club, I believe in myself.”
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