Coach Admits Team Didn't Fight Right Against Brentford

The verdict came quickly and bluntly. “Bad game. We lost and suffered the difference in the duels. It was the key of this game.”

There was no attempt to dress it up. His team had been second best all over the pitch against Brentford, and he knew exactly why.

“We didn't fight in the right way,” he said. “Maybe credit to them because it's the best quality Brentford have.”

The physical gulf was obvious. Brentford snapped into challenges, won second balls, and imposed their rhythm. His side, still piecing themselves together after a disrupted pre-season, simply could not match it.

“Our physical condition was not at the right level for all players because many came later after the World Cup and there were many new players in the squad and first XI,” he admitted. “But we have to analyse this game better because we can't play this way in this type of game.”

He did not hide his surprise.

“I am surprised by the result and performance. I knew we were not in the right condition. We can't find an excuse. I am sorry for the result and performance. We are starting a new project and we couldn't find the principal.”

Fitness issues and a fractured structure

Key figures are nowhere near their peak.

“Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali are not in the best physical condition. We knew that before the game. We have to improve on that and many other things, like organisation and pressing.”

The list of problems is long: late arrivals after the World Cup, a reshaped squad, a first XI still learning each other’s movements. Yet he refuses to lean on that as a shield.

“We can improve quickly but first, we have to understand this game better. I know their physical condition and new players but we have to put something more. We had to fight more. Players know I have a lot of confidence in them and we hope to improve quickly.”

On potential reinforcements, he drew a clear line.

“I don't want the excuse that the first XI was not enough to compete and get a result. Brentford's spirit on the pitch was great, it has to be the right example for us.”

Out-fought, out-run, out of sync

The pattern of the match cut deep. Every time his side tried to press, Brentford found a way out. The timing was off, the distances wrong, the duels lost.

“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. We arrived too many times late and we lost too many duels to compete with Brentford.”

The apology came again, this time tied to a wider warning.

“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.”

So why did they shrink in the 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.”

No panic, but no hiding place

Asked if this performance would force changes to the line-up in the coming weeks, he pushed back.

“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.”

He knows what must come next, even if the process will be uncomfortable.

“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.”

The message was clear: no excuses, no overreaction, but no illusions either. If this new project is going to stand up to the Premier League’s intensity, the duels cannot keep going Brentford’s way.