Glenn Hoddle believes that Roberto De Zerbi "singled out" Micky van de Ven following Tottenham Hotspur's 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Saturday evening.

Glenn Hoddle says that Spurs should have abandoned their game plan in the match against Brentford.

Glenn Hoddle believes that Roberto De Zerbi "singled out" Micky van de Ven following Tottenham Hotspur's 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Saturday evening.

Spurs were soundly beaten by Brentford in their opening Premier League match, with goals from Lewis-Potter, Janelt, and Kayode securing a deserved victory for Keith Andrews' side.

De Zerbi handed full debuts to Robertson, Sarr, Van de Ven, and Tonali, while summer signing Richarlison, brought in for £85 million, came on as a substitute at half-time.

However, Spurs struggled to threaten Brentford's defence. Speaking after the match about his team's defeat, De Zerbi singled out Micky van de Ven by name, pointing to poor pressing play from the players.

De Zerbi said: "We were not ready to compete in the duels."

"I think we made too many mistakes with the timing of our press, with Micky van de Ven responsible for the left centre position, often a step too late."

"We lost too many duels against Brentford, and I regret this and this defeat. I know we need to improve our fitness, and also our organisation, because we have many new players in the squad."

When asked about De Zerbi's comments, Hoddle said on a Premier League production show: "I think they struggled a bit after losing Archie Gray and having Micky van de Ven on the right, and these two weren't pressing together. I think that's what De Zerbi was talking about, but he somewhat singled out Micky van de Ven."

"If you're going to press, you have to do it together; there's no point in one person rushing forward alone. When Brentford scored their first goal, I thought: 'Richarlison, don't press the goalkeeper.' But he rushed forward anyway, pressed the goalkeeper and wasted energy. In that respect, they didn't cope."

Roberto De Zerbi apologises for Spurs' defeat to Brentford (image source: Shutterstock)

Hoddle also believes that Spurs should have abandoned their initial game plan in the first half and adopted a more direct approach, trying to pin Brentford back in their own half.

Hoddle said: "They weren't ready to fight for 50/50 balls, they weren't competing in duels, and their pressing was poor. I couldn't understand their pressing, because they were always a step too late."

"But there's another point: you go to Brentford, which is a tough away game. You know you'll be under huge pressure for the first 20 minutes. But they still tried to play the same way as in pre-season, the way they prepared, always selecting short passes from goal kicks, building from the back. They knew Brentford would press, so why not just clear the ball long for the first 20 minutes? Hit the ball up to around midfield from each goal kick, play for 20 minutes in their half. Then, when the game opens up, start building play through passes between the lines."

"But from the first minute they were like: 'We will control possession this way.' Brentford responded: 'Fine.' Then Brentford's pressing wore them down."

"Sometimes you have to change your approach or prepare for it beforehand. If you're playing Brentford at home, that's a different matter. In the opening game of the season they are full of intensity, so you should change your approach and take the game into their half for the first 20 minutes."

Переведено ИИ.

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