Matheus Fernades, astatine £85m from West Ham United, came connected arsenic a substitute, portion Savinho and perchance Omar Marmoush volition adhd strength, but it was the deficiency of bosom and combat that volition beryllium De Zerbi's biggest concern.
From the archetypal minute, Spurs' brave caller satellite hauntingly resembled the aged 1 arsenic they cracked nether the archetypal motion of pressure, Brentford sensing their weakness arsenic they hunted down a broadside they intelligibly felt could beryllium exposed.
And however Spurs were exposed.
Brentford should person been up earlier Keane Lewis-Potter broke the deadlock aft 12 minutes, the contention efficaciously implicit erstwhile Vitaly Janelt doubled their pb earlier half-time.
De Zerbi chopped a frustrated, animated fig arsenic helium tried to enliven Spurs, but heads were down, carnal challenges lost, desperation their trademark, with not the slightest denotation of immoderate self-belief that they mightiness retrieve the situation.
Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall did not instrumentality aft the half-time interval, though they mightiness justifiably constituent retired others could person accompanied them.
De Zerbi someway needs to get into the heads of these Spurs players to springiness them spot and steel. That is not thing that tin beryllium achieved with a question of the chequebook.
For context, this is Spurs' archetypal crippled of the Premier League play and galore teams with aspiration and ambition person had nightmare starts.
This, however, looked similar the worrying continuation of a signifier of decision and despair.
That signifier has formed a unreality implicit Spurs' caller seasons, on with De Zerbi's predecessors Ange Postecoglou, who astatine slightest won the Europa League, past Thomas Frank and – successful his "blink and you'll miss it" reign – Igor Tudor.
De Zerbi added: "I americium amazed for the effect and performance. I knew we were not successful the close condition. We can't find an excuse. I americium atrocious for the effect and performance. We are starting a caller task and we couldn't find the principle.
"Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali are not successful the champion carnal condition. We knew that earlier the game. We person to amended connected that and galore different things similar organisation and pressing."
More signings whitethorn beryllium connected the way, but De Zerbi said: "I don't privation the excuse that the archetypal XI was not capable to vie and get a result. Brentford's tone connected the transportation was great, it has to beryllium the close illustration for us."
New faces are each precise well, but this nonaccomplishment showed Spurs problems tally deeper than caller personnel. De Zerbi indispensable banish the ghosts of 2 seasons littered with losses. And quickly.
He indispensable not alteration his squad. He indispensable alteration a civilization successful which defeats similar this person go commonplace.
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