Match report: Brentford 2 Spurs 2 all positive so far… but still more to do…
The first game of the season started life without Kane, and we ended up with a healthy draw… of course, if Kane had been with us, I have no doubt that we would have won and won comfortably, but, alas… he wasn’t. We start a new era with the smell of Oz in our nostrils. An entertaining draw against Brentford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season seemed to have left the Spurs fans happy. After the game, the manager and players came to our side and got a good round of applause. Thinks to come?
It was a lovely, warm day in Brentford. It started off with a meal in a nearby restaurant and a brisk walk to the ground. Once in, we met Tottenham friends and then found our seats (that is Mel and I).
With a mixture of new players and old, we fought an impressive battle (impressive in the sense that we embarked on a new journey with a new manager, a changed team – in parts – with a new formation thrown in).
Brentford began the game without their rabbit’s foot, Ivan Toney; nevertheless, they had taken the lead through Yoane Wissa after Bryan Mbeumo’s penalty cancelled Romero’s opener.
We have failed to win on our three visits to the Gtech Community Stadium, where a water supply issue delayed kick-off by six minutes. When play did begin, Romero opened the scoring with a guided header from debutant James Maddison’s fierce free-kick. Romero’s goal proved his final act as he was injured in a head clash with a Brentford player. He was replaced on the orders of Postecoglou for precautionary measures.
Brentford recovered and won a spot-kick when our captain Son brought down Mathias Jensen for Mbuemo to convert and stretch his goalscoring run to four consecutive top-flight games.
Wissa was then the beneficiary of Rico Henry’s surge down the left-hand side before side-footing past Guglielmo Vicario via a deflection off the boot of Micky van de Ven to dampen things. Two-one to Brentford.
Royal made it 2-2.
Thoughts…
Royal turned his fortunes around last season after joining the club and having a bumpy start. This season he scored the pick of the goals at the beginning of this season with a guided finish in the fifth minute of 11 added on at the end of a thrilling first half.
Kane leaves the Premier League as our all-time top scorer with 280 goals in 435 appearances. Which means he leaves behind big boots to fill. Richarlison looks set to try and answer Postecoglou’s call for goals. Unfortunately, Richarlison did very little to ease our concerns as he cut a lonely figure. In a quiet first half, he only touched the ball 16 times. Romero was the only Spurs outfield player to touch the ball fewer times (10) before being taken off in the 14th minute because of a possible head injury.
Maddison…
His big arrival from Leicester was a big coup for us, he tried to roll the ball through early on, but Richarlison was muscled out of the way and unable to cause a threat. The same combination linked up in the second half, but this time Richarlison snatched at the shot and fired straight at Mark Flekken in goal.
Ever since Richarlison came to the club, he has looked iffy upfront; however, it might be because of a new system that is making him suspect, but time will tell whether he is up to being a permanent replacement for Kane.
Player ratings
Brentford: Flekken (7); Hickey (6), Collins (6), Pinnock (6), Ajer (6), Henry (7); Janelt (6), Norgaard (6), Jensen (6); Wissa (7), Mbeumo (7).
Subs: Damsgaard (6), Schade (6), Baptiste (6), Roerslev (6)
Tottenham: Vicario (7); Royal (8); Van de Ven (7), Romero (7), Udogie (6); Bissouma (9), Skipp (7); Kulusevski (7), Maddison (9), Son (6); Richarlison (4).
Subs: Sanchez (7), Sarr (7), Perisic (6).
Player of the match: Yves Bissouma.
Overall I thought it was a work in progress… teammates must learn more about each other and, in the process, get tighter together.
Ange must decide whether to stay with the Brazilian or spend some of Kane’s money on another striker. We still have until the 1st of September to bring in other players.
I am happy with what I saw at Brentford; we can only improve. Whether we finish in the top four is a stretch, but a trophy is possible. Personally, I think we will end outside the top six. I think Ange is the right person for Tottenham, in his style, and he seems to complement the club’s history of exciting attacking football.
Next match: Manchester United at home.
Up the Spurs! Glenn
My name is Glenn Renshaw.
I am currently a Premium Season Ticket holder (West Stand) in the new stadium. Before that – at White Hart Lane – a season ticket holder in various parts of the ground (mainly in the North stand).
Before becoming a season ticket holder, I stood on the shelf and various other parts of the ground since the 1950s. In 1987 I became one of the first to hold a Spurs Membership card. I was also a life long member of the Spurs supporters club (now defunct).
I go to all home, away and abroad matches.
I was born in 1955, Edgware, London (it was in the late 50s – as a baby – that my dad took me to Spurs to initiate me). I currently live in Berkshire.
I also collect all Spurs books (and have everyone printed), Spurs handbooks (from 1920s onwards, Spurs programmes (since the 40s).
Previously, I wrote for Spurs Fanzines: The Spur, Spur of the Moment, My Eyes have seen the Glory and various other Spurs fanzines’. I also wrote for the SpursWeb app & its website.
I currently write and work for spursnetwork.com and its website. I write its Reviews & Match reports and a lot more.
My other interests are; reading, history, social history, Politics, going to the gym, wine, going out for a meal, music (all sorts), writing, theatre, concerts, going on holidays, socialising etc.
I have been writing blogs/ articles since 1989
If you wish to read more of my blog, please click “here”
