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Roberto De Zerbi may have spent close to £400m by the time his Tottenham Hotspur rebuild is complete – but it took just his side's first Premier League game of the season to prove all the money in the world is no guaranteed cure for a losing mentality.

De Zerbi, by his own admission, confirmed his role was more psychologist than coach when he was given seven games to keep Spurs in the top-flight following his appointment in March.

He achieved that feat, but only just as Spurs survived with victory against Everton on the final day.

The Italian has been handed vast funds for a host of new players to ensure Spurs do not suffer a repeat of the nightmare campaign.

This dreadful defeat was not the start he or the Spurs power brokers envisaged.

For all the change in transfer strategy and personnel, the manner in which Spurs capitulated at the first sign of pressure as they were run ragged by Brentford provided gruesome evidence that you need more than a huge transfer fund to give a team mental strength.

De Zerbi may feel he has addressed some of the ills in a squad that has finished 17th in the Premier League two seasons in succession. However, he will have to turn psychologist once more as the new Spurs looked like the old Spurs as they were dismantled in the west London sunshine.

He pointed to a lack of physical conditioning of players who had been at the World Cup or were newcomers, but this did not excuse the lack of basics, shortage of resilience and the fact Brentford were so superior in every area.

De Zerbi told BBC Sport's Match of the Day: "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. Maybe credit to them because it's the best quality Brentford have.

"Our physical condition was not in the right level for all players because many came later after the World Cup and there were many new players in the squad and first XI. But we have to analyse this game better because we can't play this way in this type of game."

The day started with Spurs fans bursting with optimism in one corner of The Gtech Community Stadium, welcoming their new recruits raucously. It ended with those same players applauding a large swathe of empty seats, some vacating as early as the 49th minute when Michael Kayode put The Bees 3-0 up.

It could have been even worse had the normally reliable Igor Thiago not struck the post with a penalty, but that was no consolation for Spurs or De Zerbi on what was a chastening day.

Rock superstar Jon Bon Jovi was an interested spectator at The Gtech Stadium - and Spurs gave him enough material for several albums worth of sad power ballads as they started badly and went into rapid decline.

De Zerbi gave debuts to four of his new acquisitions in Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali. They will feel the only way is up because they were at rock bottom here. None of them distinguished themselves, although neither did any others.

Italian midfielder Tonali cost £100m from Newcastle United, but was utterly outshone and overpowered by Brentford's record buy Mamadou Sangare, who was the game's outstanding performer.

Tonali's only memorable contribution was a first-half attempt on goal that flew horribly skywards, prompting the inevitable suggestion from Brentford supporters that Spurs had wasted their money.

Matheus Fernades, at £85m from West Ham United, came on as a substitute, while Savinho and possibly Omar Marmoush will add strength, but it was the lack of heart and fight that will be De Zerbi's biggest concern.

From the first minute, Spurs' brave new world hauntingly resembled the old one as they cracked under the first sign of pressure, Brentford sensing their weakness as they hunted down a side they clearly felt could be exposed.

And how Spurs were exposed.

Brentford should have been ahead before Keane Lewis-Potter broke the deadlock after 12 minutes, the contest effectively over when Vitaly Janelt doubled their lead before half-time.

De Zerbi cut a frustrated, animated figure as he tried to enliven Spurs, but heads were down, physical challenges lost, desperation their trademark, with not the slightest indication of any self-belief that they might recover the situation.

Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall did not return after the half-time interval, although they might justifiably point out others could have accompanied them.

De Zerbi somehow needs to get into the heads of these Spurs players to give them strength and steel. That is not something that can be achieved with a wave of the chequebook.

For context, this is Spurs' first game of the Premier League season and many teams with aspiration and ambition have had nightmare starts.

This, however, looked like the worrying continuation of a pattern of defeat and despair.

That pattern has cast a cloud over Spurs' recent seasons, along with De Zerbi's predecessors Ange Postecoglou, who at least won the Europa League, then Thomas Frank and – in his "blink and you'll miss it" reign – Igor Tudor.

De Zerbi added: "I am surprised for the result and performance. I knew we were not in the right condition. We can't find an excuse. I am sorry for the result and performance. We are starting a new project and we couldn't find the principle.

"Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali are not in the best physical condition. We knew that before the game. We have to improve on that and many other things like organisation and pressing."

More signings may be on the way, but De Zerbi said: "I don't want the excuse that the first XI was not enough to compete and get a result. Brentford's spirit on the pitch was great, it has to be the right example for us."

New faces are all very well, but this loss showed Spurs problems run deeper than fresh personnel. De Zerbi must banish the ghosts of two seasons littered with losses. And quickly.

He must not change his squad. He must change a culture in which defeats like this have become commonplace.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto de Zerbi believes his side "didn't fight in the right way" in their 3-0 loss to Brentford in the opening match of the 2026-27 Premier League season.

MATCH REPORT: Brentford 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur

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Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League season under Roberto De Zerbi gets off to a dismal start as they lose 3-0 to a dominant Brentford side at the Gtech Community Stadium.

MATCH REPORT: Premier League - Brentford 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Brentford made it a miserable start to the Premier League season for Roberto de Zerbi's expensively rebuilt Tottenham Hotspur side with an emphatic 3-0 victory at The Gtech Community Stadium.

Here's how I rated the players and how you rated the players.

Caoimhin Kelleher: Calm as ever in goal and made the saves when he needed to. 6

Michael Kayode: Busy and a threat out wide. Opportunist goal to effectively clinch the victory. 7

Kristoffer Ajer: Read the game well throughout. Composed and dealt well with any Spurs danger there was. 6

Nathan Collins: Missed early headed chance but it did not prove costly. Untroubled at the back. 6

Keane Lewis-Potter: Clinical finish for Brentford's opening goal and provided quality on the flanks. 7

Vitaly Janelt: Pounced for second goal and provided the sort of solid performance Brentford have come to count on. 7

Mathias Jensen: Dangerous from set-pieces and his shot helped set up Brentford's second goal for Janelt. 7

Dango Ouattara: Poor touch cost him a chance of a goal in the first half but his prodigious work-rate made a crucial contribution. 6

Mamadou Sangare: Outstanding. Won possession, used possession and set up Lewis-Potter's opening goal superbly. Club-record signing at £39m looks a bargain. 8

Igor Thiago: Physical presence worried Spurs. Marred an excellent performance by missing a second-half penalty. 7

Kevin Schade: Always looking to link with Thiago and worried the Spurs defence throughout. 6

Subs:

Yehor Yarmoliuk (on 67, Jensen): Eased his way into the action.5

Jaidon Anthony (on 67, Ouattara): Quiet introduction for debutant. 5

Aaron Hickey (on 76, Kayode)

Mikkel Damsgaard (on 76, Sangare)

Callum Wilson (on 83, Thiago)

Subs not used: Valdimarsson,, Henry, Pinnock, Schuster.

Antonin Kinsky: Bad day for Spurs' new first-choice goalkeeper. Was at fault when he pushed out Jensen's shot for Janelt's goal. Distribution wayward. 5

Archie Gray: The youngest captain in Spurs history but not a day for celebration. Played as an emergency right-back and looked like, well, an emergency right-back. 5

Marcos Senesi: Struggled to cope with the physical presence of Igor Thiago and the movement of those around Brentford's Brazilian striker. 5

Jan Paul van Hecke: For Senesi read Van Hecke. Never comfortable in a shambolic Spurs defence. 5

Andrew Robertson: Tough debut for the veteran left-back. Struggled to cope with Brentford's pace and movement on the right flank. 5

Conor Gallagher: Took a couple of heavy early knocks and had a wild shot off target. Booked for trip on Sangare and no surprise when he was replaced at half-time. 4

Lucas Bergvall: Too many wasted passes and gave away possession poorly for Brentford's second goal. 4

Sandro Tonali: Desperately poor debut for Spurs' £100m signing. Ironic cheers for one first-half effort and did not exert any serious influence on the game. 4

Mikey Moore: The youngster was isolated on the right flank and had little support. but at least looked dangerous and gave Kelleher some work to do. 6

Richarlison: Ineffective. Lost heart as the game went on. 4

Mathys Tel: Early clever flick hinted at a threat, but was then anonymous. 4

Subs:

Mateus Fernandes (on 45, Gallagher): Anonymous on debut. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur (on 45, Bergvall): Gave away a penalty. Poor. 5

James Maddison (on 68, Moore): No time make an impact. 5

Dominic Solanke (on 68, Richarlison): Game was over when he came on. 5

Destiny Udogie (on 86, Gray)

Subs not used: Dubravka, Danso, Davies, Williams-Barnett.

Roberto de Zerbi's first task on arriving at Tottenham in March was to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

With that mission accomplished, he has had time and money over the summer to start creating a new-look Spurs to aim higher.

So how might he tackle the challenge?

When De Zerbi first arrived in the Premier League at Brighton in September 2022, he introduced new tactical concepts that were admired by some of the league's best.

At the time, Pep Guardiola called him "one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years".

De Zerbi's ideas were copied - and he was primarily influential around how he coached build-up play.

The sight of the centre-backs standing tall, studs on the ball, waiting for the opposition forwards to become impatient before closing them down felt unnatural but it was purposeful.

This pressure was the cue for ball-playing centre-backs to combine with nearby holding midfielders, using slick one-touch passing combinations before punching daring passes to their forwards.

The speed at which a De Zerbi side could, and still can, turn slow meticulous possession in their own half into one-against-one situations for the attackers is a hallmark of his approach.

But the game has changed - and with it, De Zerbi has sought to evolve.

In pre-season, one of the most common situations Spurs have faced has been around the middle of the pitch with the ball at the feet of their centre-backs.

Here, De Zerbi's side will look to do some of the same things of old -Â standing on the ball, waiting for pressure, looking to play through the centre of the pitch, aiming to find the attackers high up the field in space.

Given how effective De Zerbi's approach was in 2022, coaches have since made a conscious effort to nullify those same tactics.

Knowing De Zerbi's sides aim to play vertically through the middle of the pitch, the first thing teams have looked to do is block that path.

Opposing teams can set up with a very narrow defensive shape, making it hard for Spurs' centre-backs to find the holding midfielders. So De Zerbi has had to come up with new solutions -Â either by pulling the central players out of position, or by progressing the ball down the flanks.

This can be illustrated with an example from Spurs' 3-0 win against Hoffenheim in pre-season.

Hoffenheim set up in a 4-4-2 defensive mid-block. What stands out is how narrow this shape was. Both the right and left midfielders almost looked like third and fourth central midfielders. To protect the centre of the pitch further, the two strikers stood in front of Spurs' midfield two.

Spurs' shape on the ball here looked like a 4-2-4 -Â the most common shape they use in these situations.

The wide positions of Spurs' full-backs pose a difficult question to the opposition's wide midfielders too. They stand free and unmarked, able to receive the ball under little pressure - but De Zerbi looks to use them as decoys rather than making this easier pass.

Their position often pulls the wide midfielders away from their more central position, opening up space for the centre-backs to pass the ball directly into the centre-forwards dropping deep.

When the pass finds one of these forwards, they have then been able to play first-time balls into the wide players in space.

The wingers, often in one-against-one situations, are encouraged to play with directness and pace before shooting, or more commonly cutting the ball back for the centre-forwards to finish moves.

This is a pattern of play to look out for this season.

The centre-backs signed are technical, comfortable on the ball, and capable of playing risky, progressive passes through crowded midfields.

The central midfielders, such as Mateus Fernandes and Bergvall, are able to make passes under pressure in small spaces, bouncing the ball back to their defenders.

Tonali, Conor Gallagher and Destiny Udogie are capable of driving past players and carrying the ball over large distances from a wider position if the middle of the pitch is blocked.

Links to Cody Gakpo and the signing of Savinho provide Spurs with the one-against-one pace and dribbling quality to bring attacks towards the box.

And finally, Richarlison and Omar Marmoush possess impressive ball-striking and the physicality to arrive around the box to put away crosses.

These qualities maximise the patterns of play seen from Spurs in pre-season.

This is not to say that teams will not have solutions to these tactics as the season progresses.

But for a club accused of swinging too drastically from one approach to another season on season, there seems to be coherence between coach, tactics and players targeted this time.

The Football Interview will be available on BBC One at 12:45 every Saturday during the Premier League season, as well as on BBC iPlayer, BBC Football YouTube and the BBC Sport website and app.

The first episode of the new season, available on Saturday, 22 August, sees Kelly Somers sit down with Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison.

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison said he and his partner have been "in the trenches" at home with five children aged four and under during a period when he was sidelined from football with a serious knee injury.

The 29-year-old missed most of the 2025-26 season because of the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) he suffered last August.

During his recovery, Maddison's partner gave birth to their second set of twins. He described it as the "toughest year of his life" but credited his family for helping him get through.

"I needed that positive distraction of my partner being pregnant and having to be there for her and forget about myself, even though I was going through a traumatic experience through my knee," he told Kelly Somers.

Despite that, life has not been easy.

"A lot of nappies flying about, a lot of accidents at home, but it'll all be worth it," he said.

"We still love it. I wouldn't change it for the world."

Maddison said that because of his prolonged absence from football, his eldest son Leo actually assumed at one point that he had left Spurs.

"I missed a year of football, and a year in a child's life - from three and a half to four and a half - it's obviously massive," he said.

"He couldn't even remember over a year ago when he was at all the games.

"It would be nice for him to come to the games again and actually remember Dad playing instead of just Dad sat at home watching him with a machine on his knee."

Spurs struggled last season, securing survival on the final day and finishing just two points above the relegation zone. Maddison said it was tough not to be able to help out.

"We probably struggled a little bit for creativity and I'm watching the games thinking, 'what would I be doing there?'," he said.

Despite those tough experiences, the midfielder described how Italian head coach Roberto de Zerbi helped lift the mood at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after taking over in March.

"He's very clever. He's very tactical. He's obsessed with football, you can see that," said Maddison.

"But to be honest, when he first came in – in comparison to pre-season and what we're training now - he didn't want to make it too complicated. He just wanted us to get the love back for playing football."

One of the first things the Italian did, revealed Maddison, was to organise a team meal, where alcohol was allowed.

The 29-year-old described De Zerbi telling his team: "We're all going to be drinking alcohol, we're all going to be having a good night."

Maddison explained: "He wanted us to have a night where we all just relax.

"That feeling that we got made everyone feel more knitted together, straight away."

Another thing De Zerbi did early on in his tenure was to put Maddison on the bench.

"I was almost like, 'I'm not ready to play yet, boss'," the midfielder said.

"But he said no. He said I can come on the bench in my slippers if I want. He just wanted me around the group and he thought that would benefit the group. I took that as a massive compliment and just acted as if I was part of the bench, part of the team.

"I'm not saying that's the reason why, but we managed to steer clear of the danger, which was a good feeling."

The midfielder made his return against Leeds on 11 May, but he has not been risked in pre-season so far. Despite that, Maddison remains confident for the season ahead.

"I'm working so hard to try and be fully fit and available for the majority of the season," he said.

"I want just a fully fit, healthy season where I can just enjoy football. Because if I'm fully fit and I'm healthy, then I know what I'm capable of. And I know that I can affect games more than a lot of players in this league. So, let's just hope for that."

See you tomorrow

It's time for this live text to come to an end but make sure you tune into Match of the Day at 10pm and you can even watch the highlights on our website now.

We'll be back at 12:30pm tomorrow for more Premier League fun.

See you then.

'Senesi, Van Hecke & Tonali not in best condition'

FT: Brentford 3-0 Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "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. Maybe credit to them because it's the best quality Brentford have.

"Our physical condition was not at the right level for all players because many came later after the World Cup and there were many new players in the squad and first XI. But we have to analyse this game better because we can't play this way in this type of game.

"I am surprised by the result and performance. I knew we were not in the right condition. We can't find an excuse. I am sorry for the result and performance. We are starting a new project and we couldn't find the principal.

"Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali are not in the best physical condition. We knew that before the game. We have to improve on that and many other things, like organisation and pressing.

"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."

On more signings: "I don't want the excuse that the first XI was not enough to compete and get a result. Brentford's spirit on the pitch was great, it has to be the right example for us."

'We were not ready to fight'

FT: Brentford 3-0 Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi, speaking to Sky Sports: "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. It's 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 didn't fight in the right way."

On why the team did not fight in duels: "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 Brentford's direction.

"We didn't play well. We didn't fight in the right way. Not because we didn't remember the last season. Because these players are good people and with value and memory. But we lost too many duels."

On whether the line-up will change in weeks to come: "The first XI should be able to compete normally if the game went in this way. I don't lose confidence in my players and these people. We have to work and improve, analyse the game better and find the improvement.

On which areas to improve: "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 don't want to make excuses but we need to keep improving. We need to find the right spirit to fight but today, it wasn't there. I expected better for sure. I didn't expect this result but I knew the problems we would find today."

'It's everything we dreamt of'

FT: Brentford 3-0 Tottenham

Brentford

Brentford goalscorer Keane Lewis-Potter, speaking to Match of the Day: "It's everything we dreamt of, we have been working so hard in pre-season. We want to make our stadium a ground where it's so hard to play for away teams. We have a special connection and it definitely shows."

On his goal setting the tempo for the game: "If we get one, we want to get two, three, four and keep on going. We don't want to sit back, that's not in our DNA."

On the new signings and the depth in the squad: "It's good for us as a squad to have fight sin training to see who is going to start. We have so much depth now, it helps us a lot."

On building on last season: "We know we can do better than that. It's only early but we can get better than that, definitely."

'No excuses for today'

FT: Brentford 3-0 Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham midfielder Archie Gray, speaking to Sky Sports: "For some reason on days in football, a team can outfight another team, it's on us and the fans have been incredible."

On fitness in the starting line-up: "I don't think there's any excuses to be honest."

On hangover from last season: "We've got work to do, you saw that performance. It's definitely an improvement from last season. It's not the start we wanted, going into the mid-week game on Wednesday."

On looking ahead for the rest of the season: "The work we do in the week is about moving in the right direction but today we got out-fought."

On becoming Tottenham's youngest-ever Premier League starting captain: "It was an amazing moment and I'm grateful for the manager for trusting me but again, today wasn't good enough."

'Sangare was the one we were after'

FT: Brentford 3-0 Tottenham

Brentford

Brentford manager Keith Andrews, speaking to Sky Sports: "You never truly know where the opposition are at the start of the season. I am really happy with what we produced today. It was us from the first whistle.

"It was intensive, relentless and filled with a way of playing that is difficult to play against. It was filled with personality and togetherness that we have in abundance.

On Mamadou Sangare: "He is a top player, no doubt about it. He is the one we were after in the window. Club deserve a lot of credit. He deserves a lot of credit too, because he could have gone elsewhere for a few more bob. He recognised this would be a good place to come and he has settled quite nicely.

"When you bring in a really good player, it brings the level of the team up. But that is not to underestimate what we already had. We have the strength and depth. It was important the impact the bench had.

On playing style: "I am just comfortable where we are in our journey. There are going to be bumps on the road. Football is a soap opera and we just need to deal with it week to week."

On European hopes: "The plan is to get better. We need to keep pushing and keep striving."

'I felt good for a number of weeks'

FT: Brentford 3-0 Tottenham

Brentford

Brentford manager Keith Andrews speaking to Match of the Day: "Really pleased. Felt like there was a performance coming, you never really know after pre-season. The reality is the first game of the season comes and it can quickly come unstuck. I felt good for a number of weeks about how we were coming together. I was pretty pleased.

"Our fans were amazing today. There is a genuine connection here that helps. I thought we started the game brilliantly and they were fully engaged. We want to be relentless. We looked like a real team."

On Sangare's Premier League debut: "He's settled in really well. Again, it's pre-season so you don't want to get too excited, but the cohesion he brings to an already-talented midfield, we're really happy with him."

On if last season has spurred Brentford on this time around: "It's a different season, football's a soap opera, that's the reality. There are goodies, there are baddies. You need to live with that and whatever you're dealt, you deal with it. We are just in a good place."

'We wanted to show what we're made of'

FT: Brentford 3-0 Tottenham

Brentford

Brentford's Mamadou Sangare and Nathan Collins, speaking to Sky Sports.

Collins on tonight's performance: "That's what we wanted, we wanted to start sharp, we want to show people what we're made of and we did that today. We know last season we were one point off, this year, we've added quality people to the squad."

Collins on Sangare's performance: "He's alright, he started okay... we want more from him though! More goals, more tackles."

Collins on was today a sign of what a good pre-season looks like: "I think so, it's just the start for us, it's something to grow from. I think we can only get better from this, so let's hope it's a good season."

Sangare on today's match: "It's really good since my first day here, everybody has been really good with me. So it's good to start with a win, I hope we can continue like that."