The Italian coach apologised to fans at full-time and admitted that several of his players were not yet at the required physical level after preseason.
De Zerbi has spent around £240M on new faces over the summer - including a club record £100M swoop for fellow Italian Sandro Tonali - but their first outing magnified several issues within his squad.
The need for more attacking options remains clear and they are reportedly closing in on an £85M deal for Savinho after Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has revealed his persistent requests to leave the Etihad Stadium.
However, a move for his City teammate Omar Marmoush is dragging on, despite the club's willingness to pay City's £75M valuation.
As per the latest from Fabrizio Romano, Spurs are confident an agreement can get wrapped up at the start of next week, with the window closing in the Premier League on September 1st.