De Zerbi admits 'we're not a team yet' as Redknapp labels Spurs 'strangers'

Tottenham suffered a woeful 3-0 opening-weekend loss at Brentford; defeat comes despite Spurs spending big this summer; five of the six new signings featured in the defeat as Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp labelled Roberto De Zerbi's new-look side as a "team of strangers"

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi believes their dismal 3-0 opening-season defeat at Brentford shows his new-look side are "not a team yet" after a big summer of spending.

The Italian also admitted they lacked fight in the loss but felt they were undercooked for their opener, as Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp labelled them a "team of strangers".

Spurs' summer spending is set to surpass the £300m mark, with deals advancing for Manchester City pair Savinho and Omar Marmoush.

But despite five of Tottenham's six summer arrivals featuring against Brentford, Spurs were stung badly by the Bees in a deserved defeat that epitomised their back-to-back 17th-place finishes after avoiding relegation on the final day last season.

De Zerbi said at his post-match press conference: "I think we are not a team yet, for a lot of reasons. We can fix the target when you become a team. Before (we) become a team, we can't say what we can do.

"We are not in the right point in physical condition for a lot of reasons. For the players, they came late after the World Cup because in Australia [pre-season tour] we couldn't work in the right way for the trip; we don't take risks for a lot of things.

"But (these) are not excuses, (this is) the normal situation when you are building a new project, a new process. I don't want time, but we have to pass through these problems.

"I believe in my players, I believe in my club, I believe in myself. After the Hoffenheim game [final pre-season game last weeked], I said we are not in the right point, we are late for the start of the Premier League, but it's a step; we have to improve quickly.

"We could fight stronger than we did today. We lost too many duels, we made too many mistakes in the timing when we wanted to push the pressure higher. We arrived second on the second ball; we didn't win one second ball, one duel, one tackle, and it's tough."

He added: "Now the focus and the target is to become a team because a team. You can't become a team for the transfer market window - the player on paper, no.

"You become a team with the players; they find the connection between them, they find the spirit, they find the soul - it's a process."

Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp : "You'd say they were a team of strangers; they didn't have that extra know-how of when (Jan Paul) Van Hecke and (Marcos) Senesi become a partnership. "They never really won enough duels. I never really liked the look of the team when I saw the XI. I don't like (Conor) Gallagher in the 10, I wondered where the creativity was going to be. "The hope for Tottenham is that they won't be the same side in six weeks. But there were so many disappointing factors.