Coach Reflects on Defeat: Team Didn't Fight in the Right Way

The verdict came quickly and bluntly. “Bad game. We lost and suffered the difference in the duels.”

There was no attempt to dress it up. The coach cut a frustrated figure as he picked through a bruising defeat to Brentford, admitting his team were second best in every key contest and nowhere near the physical level required.

“It was the key of this game. We didn't fight in the right way,” he said, pointing straight at the basics his side failed to deliver. “Maybe credit to them because it's the best quality Brentford have.”

Physically short, tactically late

The explanation was as stark as the scoreline. Too many players short of fitness, too many new faces, too little cohesion.

“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 didn’t hide his shock at how far off the pace his team looked.

“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.”

Key names were flagged. “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 pattern was obvious to him: late into challenges, late into presses, always chasing.

“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.”

No excuses, no hiding place

Even with the caveats about fitness and new signings, he refused to let those factors become a shield.

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

The word “duels” kept coming back. It defined the game in his mind, especially the opening 45 minutes when Brentford seized control.

“Especially in the first half, we were not in the right position to make the right pressure,” he said. “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.”

His assessment of the display was ruthless.

“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.”

New project, harsh lesson

This is a team in transition, and he knows it. New players, new ideas, but an early reminder of how unforgiving this level can be.

“There were many new players but it was the first game. It's part of our journey,” he said. “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.”

He stressed that the foundations of the project remain intact.

“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.”

He expects a reaction, and quickly.

“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.”

Trust in the XI, demand for a response

Asked whether this performance would trigger sweeping changes, he pushed back.

“The first XI should be able to compete normally if the game went in this way,” he said. “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 circled back to the same non‑negotiables: fitness, organisation, aggression.

“I know we have to improve in our physical condition, in the organisation,” he said. “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 as he walked away: the project stands, the belief remains, but unless his team start winning their duels, the season will ask questions they cannot afford to dodge.