De Zerbi apologizes for defeat and insists team will not face a relegation battle this season

After Tottenham suffered a 0-3 away defeat to Brentford in their Premier League season opener, manager De Zerbi spoke to Sky Sports.

On the defeat:

We were at a physical disadvantage, but we knew that going in. We weren't ready for the intensity. We had issues with poorly timed pressing on multiple occasions when we tried to get Moore to press their left center-back.

We were a step too slow too many times and lost too many physical contests, failing to match Brentford. I’m sorry for that — I apologize for this defeat.

I know we need to improve our physical condition and tighten our organization, as the team has many new players. But this is the first game, and it's part of our journey.

On integrating new signings:

We knew before the game that, with so many new players, we needed two things to become a true team: character and a clear playing style. Today, I think we showed character, but ultimately, we didn't compete physically in the right way. Brentford is one of the most physically demanding teams in the Premier League, especially in direct physical contests. However, it was a fair game.

I believe in my players. In this match, particularly in the first half, the game largely went in one direction. Our positioning was correct when we pressed high, especially on the side where Moore operated. If you analyze the match, you can see how many physical duels we lost in the first half. The momentum gradually shifted toward Brentford.

Are you concerned that the team will be fighting relegation again this season?

I don’t think so. We’re not thinking about last season, but these players are good people with strong values and memories of that fight. However, we lost too many duels today. One of Brentford’s greatest strengths is winning one-on-one battles and dominating set pieces.

Our key players are competitive. Normally, if a match develops like this, we could discuss many factors. But I won’t lose faith in my players and staff. We must continue working, improve our analysis of matches, and find ways to get better.

We need to analyze this match carefully. We can't discard everything after one game, because our current work is going well. Our physical condition is improving. Not everyone is at the same level yet, because many players started their pre-season training late—Senesi, Burvall, and others among them.

But I don't want to make excuses. We need to stay focused and keep improving. First, we need to find the right competitive intensity and the courage to fight. Perhaps it wasn't a mental issue today, but we didn't compete in the right way.