Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi felt a lack of readiness to fight was key to their dreadful start to the new Premier League season as they were beaten 3-0 at Brentford. Expectations around Tottenham have risen significantly on the back of a big-spending summer, with a squad that narrowly avoided relegation last season undergoing a significant revamp.Spurs have spent over �200million on new players so far in the transfer window, but they were comfortably second best against their London rivals as Brentford surged to an emphatic win.Keane Lewis-Potter put the Bees ahead in the 12th minute after excellent work from Brentfords new club-record signing Mamadou Sangare.Vitaly Janelt punished Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky for only being able to parry Matthias Jensens drive as he tucked away the rebound to make it 2-0, and four minutes into the second half Michael Kayode netted the third from point-blank range in markedly similar fashion. Sangares fizzing effort proved too hot for Kinsky to handle, and Kayode prodded home. Igor Thiago squandered a chance to make it 4-0 as his penalty hit the post, but that was cold comfort for Spurs and De Zerbi on a chastening evening.Speaking to Sky Sports, De Zerbi said: We suffered physically but we knew that before the game. We were not ready to fight the duels. We made a lot of mistakes in the timing of the pressure with Mikey Moore. We arrived too many times late and we lost too many duels to compete with Brentford.I am sorry for the defeat. I know we have to improve in our physical condition, in the organisation. There were many new players but it was the first game. Its part of our journey. With a lot of new players, we knew we needed soul and style of play to become a team. Today I think there was the soul but we didnt fight in the right way.I believe in my players. Especially in the first half, we were not in the right position to make the right pressure. If you analyse the game, you can see how many duels we lost in the first half when the game went in Brentfords direction.We didnt play well. We didnt fight in the right way. Not because we didnt remember the last season. Because these players are good people and with value and memory. But we lost too many duels.We have to analyse this game. We cannot destroy everything because we are working well. Physical condition is not the same for all players because many started the season later.I dont want to make excuses but we need to keep improving. We need to find the right spirit to fight but today, it wasnt there. I expected better for sure. I didnt expect this result but I knew the problems we would find today. Topics Brentford F.C. Premier League Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Brentford 3-0 Tottenham: Big-spending Spurs slump to dismal opening defeat Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026 WATCH: Lewis-Potter and Janelt on target as Brentford batter big-spending Tottenham Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026 Premier League round-up: Clarke gives promoted Ipswich winning start as Everton and Leeds prevail Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026 Brentford v Tottenham: Confirmed line-ups as four new signings start for Spurs Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026 Bruno Fernandes slams Man United for same mistakes as last season after Hull humiliation Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026 Aston Villa agree deal to sign Germany midfielder Goretzka Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026
