Every Word: De Zerbi After Brentford — “We Are Not a Team Yet”

Roberto De Zerbi faced the media after defeat at Brentford. Below is what he said in full, question by question, with nothing cut.

You never managed to get control of the game. Was it fitness, not fighting hard enough or too many new players?

For many reasons. I think we are not a team yet. For a lot of reasons. Yesterday in the press conference, when you asked me what is the target, we can fix the target when you become a team. Before becoming a team, we can't say what we can do. For sure, 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 we couldn't work in the right way for the trip, don't take risk for a lot of things, but are not excuses. They are 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 couldn't lose confidence in my players. I believe in my players, I believe in my club, I believe in myself. I think we are working well, but in this moment. I knew after the Hoffenheim game, 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.

Anyway, 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 for the second ball, we didn't win one second ball, one duel, one tackle, and it's tough. But if you analyse everything, you can find that we played with one [born in] 2007, one 2006. Lucas Bergvall, the second goal. I think he didn't play bad today, even if I substituted in the half-time. But Lucas Bergvall in the next two years, he will not lose that ball in that moment of the game. But there are steps to become better.

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, for the players, the new players, the paper, the player of the paper, no. You become teams with the players, they find the connection between them, they find the spirit, they find the soul, like I said yesterday, and it's a process.

You mentioned the age of some of those players, like Mikey Moore and Mathys Tel as well, did that show today that you do need more experience up front in the attacking area?

No, no, for the attacking area, for Archie Gray the same today. Like Lucas, many new players, maybe they have to find the connection, Sandro Tonali, Senesi and Van Hecke. But I think, I don't change idea, I think we are working well as a club, as a project. We need the time, like the big teams have done in the last 10 years.

It's going to take a while for your players to gel, but given how the team fared towards the end of last season, I think a lot of fans will be shocked by that defeat. Were you shocked, were you surprised?

Yeah, I was surprised, I was suffering for this defeat, but we are working. If you analyse last season, the defensive line, Porro, Danso, Micky Van de Ven and Udogie. And today, Archie Gray, JP Van Hecke, Senesi and Robertson, four new players. Two midfielders, Rodrigo Bentancur and Palhinha. Today, two midfielders, Bergvall, why not Bentancur? Because he came late in the pre-season. In the pre-season we worked with Lucas Bergvall. I think at the beginning of the season, at the beginning of the new project, it was good, it was right to play with Lucas Bergvall. But I knew before the game, Lucas Bergvall, in this type of game, maybe he could suffer more than Rodrigo Bentancur, nine years older, and Lucas, 20. I knew before the game, but at the end you have to think. We go, and we try to build something good for the club. We need also Archie Gray, we need also Lucas Bergvall, or we work for today. And tomorrow, I don't know. For today, I agree. For the plan, for the project, what the club wants and what we are, in the direction we are working, I think is the normal process. Even (though) we are suffering for the defeat, we are shocking for this defeat, especially for the way we lost the game. Because they deserve to win and we played very, very bad.

Is this match useful in that regard for the players to keep their feet on the ground?

Yes, but before this game yesterday, I told you, when you asked me about the target, about the happiness for this transfer market window, I said, first of all, we have to become a team. And to become a team, in my home, there are two big conditions. The soul and the style of play. And today, we didn't show the soul, and we didn't show the quality of the play. With the ball and without the ball. When we find these two conditions, I think we can become dangerous for everyone, every team. Until we don't arrive, we don't reach these conditions, we have to suffer. And today, I think it's important for us, this defeat, because maybe we woke up stronger than we thought, maybe.

What role will Archie Gray play this season after the departure of Djed Spence?

Archie Gray can play as a full-back, as a midfielder. But I think he's much better than his performance today. But not just Archie Gray, also JP Van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, Richarlison, everyone. We didn't play a good game. But we can't change our idea on Archie Gray for today, or for Richarlison or Mathys Tel.

How long do you expect it to take for you to find the rhythm? Do you expect it to come before the international break? Do you expect it before next week against Newcastle?

We need time, but I think we are much better than we showed today. So from Wednesday we can show our qualities, and we can show who we are. But anyway, even if we win Wednesday or next Saturday, we need time to become a team. Because to become a team we need time. We need time, we have to analyse the situation, we have to understand the situation. The improvement we have to do, every one of us, because we lose and we win together.

Last season Tottenham were very strong from set-pieces, but losing Romero and Palhinha, two big set-piece players, how are you trying to refocus that in your work?

Listen, Brentford in set-pieces are maybe the best team in the Premier League. So it's normal to suffer. I think we suffer more the duels, more the second ball than the set-pieces.