Roberto De Zerbi admits Tottenham were outworked in Brentford defeat

Roberto De Zerbi's first Premier League game in charge of Tottenham ended in a 0-3 defeat at Brentford, and he spent most of his post-match comments talking about what went wrong physically. Keane Lewis-Potter scored after 12 minutes, Vitaly Janelt doubled the lead before half-time and Michael Kayode made it 3-0 in the 49th minute at the Gtech Community Stadium.

De Zerbi's diagnosis

"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," De Zerbi told BBC Sport after the match. He added that Tottenham's "physical condition was not in the right level for all players" and said many had arrived later after the World Cup, with a number of new players in the squad and first XI.

That was not the only explanation he offered. "I knew we were not in the right condition. We can't find an excuse," he said, before adding that Tottenham were "starting a new project" and had not found the principles yet. De Zerbi also praised Brentford's spirit and said it should be the right example for his side.

The match stats matched the tone of his comments. Lewis-Potter and Janelt both earned 7.9 ratings, while Kayode was close behind on 7.7. Tottenham had six players rated 6.5 or lower, which fits the sense of a side that never settled into the contest.

The changes did not solve it

De Zerbi handed first Tottenham starts to Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, Mateus Fernandes and others, but the reshuffle did not bring control. Lucas Bergvall was rated 5.6 and taken off at half-time, while James Maddison only managed 22 minutes after starting on the bench.

The bench calls were part of the wider selection debate around the afternoon, but the bigger issue was simpler than any individual omission. Brentford were cleaner in the duels, sharper in their movement and more settled across the pitch, while Tottenham were still trying to find rhythm under a new coach and a new set of ideas.

The result leaves De Zerbi with a blunt first reference point. Tottenham's next league test will come with the same basic demand, because Brentford showed on 22 August that the new project still has to prove it can match the Premier League physically as well as technically.