Tottenham head into the new season after two consecutive 17th placed finishes and nearly £300 million spent in the summer transfer window.
Despite their huge spending spree, De Zerbi’s side were well beaten by Brentford in their first Premier League game of the 2026-27 season.
Goals from Keane Lewis Potter, Vitaly Janelt, and Michael Kayode were enough to secure a memorable win for Keith Andrews’ side.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, De Zerbi admitted that his side simply weren’t ready for the fight.
"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," he said.
"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."