{
  "id": 2642302,
  "title": "De Zerbi learns cash alone cannot fix Spurs' losing mentality",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/de-zerbi-learns-cash-alone-cannot-fix-spurs-losing-mentality-2642302",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T20:16:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport Football",
    "slug": "bbc-sport-football",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cd696j44jqyo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Roberto De Zerbi's £400m investment in Tottenham Hotspur has proven insufficient to eliminate their losing mentality. De Zerbi, who assumed the role of coach after seven games, acknowledged the need for psychological support alongside financial resources. Despite securing promotion, Spurs were defeated by Brentford in their first Premier League match of the season, highlighting the lack of mental strength and resilience among the players. The Italian acknowledged the team's physical conditioning as a significant issue, noting that many players were new or had recently returned from the World Cup. De Zerbi expressed disappointment with the performance, stating that the team lacked the right mindset and organization. The loss emphasized the need for a cultural shift within the team, as defeats like these have become increasingly common during De Zerbi's tenure.",
  "summary": "Tottenham Hotspur's new head coach, Roberto De Zerbi, has learned that spending a large amount of money on new players is not enough to fix the team's losing mentality. According to BBC Sport, De Zerbi's side suffered a heavy defeat at Brentford in their first Premier League game of the season.\n\nThe team, which has had a £400m rebuild, was expected to perform better, but they were \"run ragged\" by Brentford. De Zerbi has acknowledged that his role is not just as a coach, but also as a psychologist, and that he had to use these skills to keep Spurs in the top-flight last season.\n\nDe Zerbi pointed to a lack of physical conditioning among players who had been at the World Cup or were newcomers as a contributing factor to the team's poor performance. The defeat was a disappointing start to the season for De Zerbi and Spurs, and highlighted that more than just a large transfer fund is needed to give a team mental strength.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "De Zerbi learns cash alone cannot fix Spurs' losing mentality",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/de-zerbi-learns-cash-alone-cannot-fix-spurs-losing-mentality",
        "published": "2026-08-22T20:16:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}