De Zerbi's Risk with Lucas Bergvall Backfires in Tottenham's Loss
Roberto De Zerbi knew he was rolling the dice.
Tottenham’s head coach admitted as much after watching his side taken apart 3-0 by Brentford on the opening weekend, with young midfielder Lucas Bergvall at the heart of a bruising night at the Gtech Community Stadium.
A Risk De Zerbi Took With Eyes Open
With Mateus Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur short of fitness after disrupted pre-seasons, De Zerbi turned to Bergvall to start alongside Sandro Tonali in midfield. It was a selection born as much from circumstance as conviction.
Fernandes has been carefully managed because of calf fatigue. Bentancur, fresh from World Cup duty, returned late to training and was never in contention to start. De Zerbi had worked all summer with Bergvall. When the season began, he felt compelled to trust that work.
“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,” he said.
The logic was clear. The reality was harsh.
Brentford’s midfield swarmed all over the 20-year-old, who struggled with the intensity and tempo of the game. The pressure finally told when Bergvall lost the ball in a dangerous area, a mistake that led directly to Brentford’s second goal as they surged into a 2-0 lead inside 33 minutes.
By half-time, with Spurs reeling, De Zerbi made the call. Bergvall was withdrawn, his Premier League bow cut short after a chastening 45 minutes.
A New-Look Spine, Harsh Lessons
De Zerbi pointed to the scale of change running through this Tottenham side. Last season’s defensive line of Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie has been ripped up. At Brentford, Archie Gray, Jean Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson formed a completely new back four.
The midfield has shifted too. Where once it was Bentancur and Joao Palhinha, here it was Tonali and Bergvall, with the senior Uruguayan watching on after his late return.
De Zerbi did not hide from the consequences of that reset, but he refused to disown the decision that backfired.
“I knew before the game, Lucas Bergvall, in this type of game, maybe he could suffer more than Rodrigo Bentancur, 9 years older, and Lucas, 20. I knew before the game, but at the end you have to think,” he said.
The message was blunt: Tottenham can either build for the future or live only for the present. They cannot do both at once without some pain.
“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.”
Faith in Bergvall Amid the Fallout
For Bergvall, the night will sting. He pushed to leave the club earlier in the summer, only to find himself not just back in the fold but thrust into the starting XI on day one of the new campaign. Brentford gave him no time to breathe, let alone settle.
Yet De Zerbi refused to pin the defeat on him.
“Lucas Bergvall, the second goal,” he said, acknowledging the error. “I think he didn't play bad today, even if I substituted in the half-time.”
The Italian framed the mistake as part of a longer journey rather than a defining flaw.
“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.”
Tottenham’s manager left West London wounded by the scoreline but unshaken in his belief that nights like this are part of the cost of a rebuild. The question now is simple: how long will Spurs tolerate those growing pains while the Premier League refuses to wait?
