Sandro Tonali defends Roberto De Zerbi after Tottenham's poor start | OneFootball

Sandro Tonali defends Roberto De Zerbi after Tottenham's poor start | OneFootball

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·23 August 2026

Sandro Tonali defends Roberto De Zerbi after Tottenham's poor start

Article image:Sandro Tonali defends Roberto De Zerbi after Tottenham's poor start

Sandro Tonali has defended Roberto De Zerbi after Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford, insisting the manager’s project is at an early stage. He stressed the squad’s bond with their new coach will be crucial.

Spurs were outplayed at the Gtech Community Stadium, where Keane Lewis-Potter struck early and the Bees controlled the contest. The result followed significant summer investment and highlighted a lack of cohesion among several new arrivals.


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"He is giving us a lot—not just me, but all the players. He knows it will be a long process, but he’s 100% positive. He loves us and is recreating the soul that has crumbled a bit over the last few seasons," he told Sky Sport.

The £100 million midfielder, signed to lead and compose the engine room, struggled to impose himself and at times looked isolated. "It’s tough because we lost, but it’s great to see that everyone cares, that everyone is on the same page. So now we just have to work; the only thing to do is stay united," Tonali said.

Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke also had difficult debuts. De Zerbi said, "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," he told BBC Sport’s Match of the Day.

Tottenham have finished 17th in each of the last two seasons, and a losing mentality persists.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”

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