Roberto De Zerbi leapt to the defence of Tottenham's £100 million ($135m) midfielder Sandro Tonali after he endured a night to forget in a 2-0 loss at home to his old club Newcastle.
Tonali was rested for Wednesday's 5-1 win over Charlton in the Carabao Cup in order to work more on his physical condition after a below-par display on his debut at Brentford.
However, he struggled to impose himself on a day where his every touch was booed by Newcastle fans, who went through a full repertoire of songs about the Italian and cheered as he was substituted in the 75th-minute not long after he was partly at fault for Anthony Elanga's opener.
"No, I love Sandro Tonali," De Zerbi said after the match. "Today is the day where my emotion for my players is bigger than the other days because we are building together the club, Vinai [Venkatesham], Johan Lange, the owners, me and they [the players] are like our children.
"So, this day is so sad. We are all of us very disappointed for the result, but I love my players more today than the next win we will make.
"I believe more than the Brentford game of our project, I believe in our players, I think [Omar] Marmoush for the first game played very well.
"It was the first game for Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, they came late and they are crucial for this team, after the World Cup, after two injuries.
"Sandro Tonali is another crucial player. He is not in the right condition, in the best condition yet, maybe physically."
Sandro Tonali made his home debut for Tottenham against Newcastle. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Why Tonali is not at his best fitness wise after he started preseason matches with Chelsea, Getafe and Hoffenheim remains a mystery.
One of De Zerbi's biggest tasks at the start of this new campaign will be to get Tonali up to speed quickly and prove Tottenham's first ever nine-figure transfer has been money well spent.
Another crucial challenge for De Zerbi to tackle is the response from his team when they go behind.
Each time Tottenham have conceded the first goal during De Zerbi's 10-game tenure, they have lost but it is a problem which can be traced through multiple seasons and managerial reigns.
You have to go back 21 months to Nov. 2024 for the last time Spurs conceded the first goal and won in the Premier League -- a 4-1 win during Ange Postecoglou's second season in charge.