Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi did not hide his frustration after his side suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Brentford on the opening day of the Premier League season, conceding that his squad is still far from cohesive despite a summer of significant investment.
Spurs spent heavily during the transfer window, with the imminent arrival of Savinho set to push the club's outlay beyond £300million. Yet the early results on the pitch have not matched the ambition off it. De Zerbi fielded five of his six major summer signings on their debuts, but the performance offered little encouragement that the new-look side is ready to compete at the top level just yet.
"For many reasons I think we are not a team yet," De Zerbi admitted after the match. "We are not at the right point in physical condition. But no excuse. When you are building a new project I don't want time, but we have to pass through these problems."
The Italian coach was candid in identifying specific issues within his squad, pointing to a trio of players who have not yet reached peak physical condition following their involvement in international commitments over the summer. "Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali are not in the best physical condition," De Zerbi said, explaining that Senesi and Van Hecke had represented Argentina and the Netherlands respectively at the World Cup, cutting into their preparation time with their new club.
De Zerbi acknowledged that the timing of the squad overhaul has left Tottenham playing catch-up compared to rivals who have had longer to integrate new arrivals. "I believe in my players, my club and myself. I think we are working well but we are late for the start of the Premier League," he said. "It's a step we have to improve quickly. We could fight stronger than we did today and we lost too many duels. The target is to become a team. To find the spirit, the soul, is a process."
The manager also flagged broader tactical shortcomings that need addressing beyond simply improving fitness levels. "We knew that before the game. We have to improve on that and many other things, like organisation and pressing," he explained. "We can improve quickly but first, we have to understand this game better. I know their physical condition and new players but we have to put something more. We had to fight more. Players know I have a lot of confidence in them and we hope to improve quickly."
While Tottenham search for answers, Brentford will take great satisfaction from a performance that included a standout showing from record signing Mamadou Sangare, who joined the club for £41million. Brentford coach Keith Andrews praised the midfielder's immediate impact following the win.
"It's pretty impressive on a lot of fronts. You never truly know from pre-season what you're going to get," Andrews said. "But it felt like we were in a good spot and we produced a pretty good performance. More of the same from him, hopefully. It's been nice working with him and the club deserves a lot of credit for getting that deal done because he could have gone elsewhere."
Andrews added that Sangare has quickly settled into a midfield already blessed with quality. "He adds to an already quality midfield that we have. I really enjoyed his performance today. You never truly know in a different league, with a different language, but he's a humble young man who looks very hungry."
For Tottenham, the challenge now is to translate De Zerbi's vision into results as quickly as possible, with the club under pressure to justify its heavy summer spending after such a chastening start to the campaign.
Based on reporting from The Independent.