Tottenham have endured the worst possible start to the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Brentford made it a miserable start to the Premier League season for an expensively rebuilt Tottenham Hotspur side with a 3-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium at the weekend.
Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring for Brentford early on and was joined by Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode on the scoresheet on a memorable day for the Bees. It could have been worse for Spurs, as Igor Thiago headed onto the crossbar while also missing a penalty.
The North Londoners were second-best in every department on Saturday, despite £237million of spending so far this summer. Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi was unhappy with his team’s lack of fight against Brentford. He also admitted that Sandro Tonali, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke as three players who were “not in the best physical condition” heading into the club’s season-opener.
Sandro Tonali remains defiant after Brentford loss
Club-record signing, Sandro Tonali endured a desperately poor debut for Tottenham. The £100m acquisition from Newcastle United did not exert any serious influence on the game and was totally outshone by Brentford’s record signing, Mamadou Sangare.
The 26-year-old, who earned a 5/10 rating after his first Premier League appearance for the North Londoners, remained defiant after the Brentford humbling. The Italian international emphasised that the transformation of the squad is a work in progress that requires patience from the fanbase and the board alike. He lauded the support from the fans and urged his teammates to stay united.
“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 in an interview to Sky Sport Italia.
Tottenham must bounce back quickly
With a quick turnaround ahead, Spurs return to action on Wednesday night in the League Cup against Charlton Athletic before turning their attention back to the Premier League on Saturday. For Tonali and his teammates, the upcoming League Cup fixture presents an immediate opportunity to clear their heads, demonstrate their true potential on the pitch and bounce back emphatically.
It will be the first home game of the new campaign, and the support of our fans will act as a catalyst to spur on De Zerbi’s side to beat Charlton Athletic. Crucially, De Zerbi has made a point to temper expectations regardless of how the team performs against the Championship team in the League Cup and the second league fixture vs. Newcastle United.