Brilliant Brentford blew hapless Tottenham off the park on Saturday afternoon in a non-stop display of attacking football that saw Keith Andrews’ side go second in the fledgling table after a 3-0 victory.
It was a one-way stream of pass-and-move football that didn’t let up from start to finish. Gone were last season’s twenty-minute phases of attack, then suck it up for the rest of the half. Instead, we were treated to a team who looked sharp, fit and deadly. The Bees imperious. Spurs impotent.
In the end, much as with the thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt the week before, fans were left wondering, “Were we that good or they just that bad”?
Whilst one wonders how £237m could be spent (100m alone on the beyond bang-average Sandro Tonali) to leave them looking as awful as last season ,it would be the most heinous of insults to leave the answer anywhere but very much in the former camp. Give the credit due to Brentford. They were beyond magnificent and would have beaten anybody put in front of them. This time around, it just happened to be Tottenham.
Keith Andrews would talk at full time about how “We want to be relentless”. On this display, he got exactly that. Roared on by the fans, Brentford came out of the traps flying. The same starting XI that had beaten our German visitors last Saturday picking up where they left off. How it took 12 minutes to open the scoring was probably the biggest mystery of all. KLP rounding off an incessant period of Brentford attack to complete a move in which Mamadou Sangaré seemed to be everywhere before providing the cross for the wing-back to sweep home.
A 1-0 lead to Brentford and, you have to say Clive, it had been coming. On pushed the Bees though. Thiago hitting the bar (albeit ultimately judged offside) as chance followed chance. Spurs defending so deep you could have put a 10-metre high-diving board in their box. Eventually, the dam broke.
Spurs looking so terrified that analysis with one North Stand observer culminated in the conclusion that, “At this rate, it won’t be long before Kinsky Flekkens it”. Within 30 seconds he had duly obliged and provided a brief reminder of our previous number one’s first season form.
Rather than smother or push it wide, the Spurs’ ‘keeper could only palm Mathias Jensen’s blistering drive a few yards forwards. The ball falling in to the zone of scoreability, with Vitaly Janelt the right man in the right place to pounce. His shot leathered home and the lead doubled with little more than half an hour gone. It was no more than the performance had suggested was coming, with the play down the flanks in particular providing a stunning display of intent.
The watching Jon Bon Jovi (not a typo – we’ve come a long way since the most high-profile name in the stands was Dean Gaffney, albeit he’d still be welcome with open arms) seemed to be enjoying himself in the early evening sunshine. No more so than for that second goal when Kinsky gave gloves a bad name.
With this, the visitors woke up. Slightly. By ‘woke up’ perhaps better described as ‘attempted to respond for ten minutes’. It didn’t really work. Perhaps because when he did get near the ball, Richarlison’s strategy seemed to be one of writhing on the ground (see also: James Maddison) rather than trying to be positive. The Bees mopping up anything that came forward and Caoimhín Kelleher barely troubled. If anything, it was Brentford giving the final push into half-time which, with only a minute of time added on, was on us before we really knew.
Back came the players. Roberto De Zerbi with a double change for the visitors but whatever he said, Keith Andrews said it better. Way better.
Within four minutes of the restart it was 3-0 Brentford. This time around, Michael Kayode the man to find the back of the net. Spurs lining up for a corner so tight to their own line that Sangaré was left totally unmarked on the edge of the box – not for the first time. His shot lashed in and whilst half-cleared, there was the Italian to hoover up the rebound. The vociferous crowd erupting loudest of all for this one as the game now moved towards ‘out of sight’.
At this speed it could, maybe should, have been approaching brackets. The chances continued coming in a game that ended with The Bees having 26 shots. The best of which after Kevin Schade was fouled in the box, leaving Michael Oliver no chance but to point towards the spot. Up stepped Igor Thiago but, despite sending Kinsky the wrong way, could only then see his effort bounce to safety off the post.
It happens. In the end it made no material difference, beyond leaving Arsenal top of the league on alphabetical order. Spurs bottom, behind Coventry City. One could argue that Kinsky moved too early – contravening the laws of the game that state: The goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind the goal line at the exact moment the ball is kicked.
It wasn’t picked up but I’m so thrilled with the performance and the margin of victory that it almost feels a moot point the morning after the night before.
Brentford were scintillating; the fans equally impressive. To be honest, if you can’t get yourself up for the first game of the season then there’s something seriously wrong but they never let up. No gimics particularly needed – merely the supporters all cheering as one which they did from start to finish. The visitors, by contrast, resembling a meeting of the Marcel Marceau fan club.
We could wax lyrical all day about this game but, as always, have the top five player ratings. Five points awarded for star player, four for second, three for third etc etc. The overall winner of our player-of-the-season is then determined after game 38 when the final tallies are confirmed.
Star player (5 points) Mamadou Sangaré
Oh. My. Word. The scouting team have done it again.
Why nobody else picked him up over the summer I have no idea but, quite frankly, that’s their problem not ours. To think that Tonali cost more than double yet if this performance is anything to go by then Phil Giles can pretty much name his own salary. Mamadou was ten times better than anything the opposition could muster.
He was alive to everything from the off. Vision. Passing. Movement. By my reckoning, he had three key contributions alone in the move that led to the first goal. The ball going from one end of the field to the other in a series of sweet passes that culminated in KLP stroking home. Much as we admired Jordan Henderson’s lofted passes to move the ball fifty yards, the ability to cut through the opposition like this had the spine tingling.
Let’s not forget either the setup for our third goal. Left alone on the edge of the box he responded to the traditional cry of ‘Shoooot’ in the best possible style. Absolutely lashing it towards goal, much as he had done last week when finding the back of the net. This time it was Kayode who finished off but the move was there for all to see.
He was brilliant, all game long. To be clear, Mamadou wasn’t alone, and it was the sort of team performance where there were several contenders for top slot. However, as much as anything else it was his debut. What an introduction to the Premier League. He’s already looking like part of the furniture.
Second (4 points) Keane Lewis-Potter
KLP goes from strength to strength.
Looking back on 25-26, I thought one of the things Keith struggled with in his rookie season was initial reticence over using Keane in a wing-back position he had so clearly made his own. We got there eventually and on this showing, have only got even more to look forward to.
He was single-minded in his determination to cover every inch of the left flank and beyond. Indefatigable in his energy levels as he marauded up, down and eventually across. Finding himself front and centre to sweep home Sangare’s perfectly placed cross for 1-0.
It wasn’t just the tirelessness or the running though. For me, perhaps the most pleasing of all was his comfort with the ball at his feet. Archie Gray at full back left bamboozled time and again. Schade a partner in crime as Tottenham were left chasing shadows.
A top performance from KLP and one that came perilously close to unseating Sangaré from top spot.
Third (3 points) Mathias Jensen
Matti was superb. Brilliantly so.
Much like KLP, he was given the freedom to run and move – albeit through the middle rather than down the wing.
He responded in style. As much, having Mamadou building from the back gave Jensen the chance to start higher. Likewise, having our new number 18 pushing up with him allowing the pair to combine with the most delightful interchanging of speedy passes.
I know certain areas of the support have had a marmite relationship with Mathias over the years, but for those of us who see what he brings to the team, this was next level vindication. Had he stayed on for longer, then may have caused some serious bother to the top two positions, not to mention Tottenham.
Fourth (2 points) Vitaly Janelt
You can’t play Vitaly AND Mamadou, opined one supporter in The Black Dog pub prior to the game. Well, I think you’ll find you can.
It feels almost heretical that there was no starting place for Mikkel Damsgaard, but the midfield trio demonstrated why Keith got the call and the balance absolutely spot on. Vita was brilliant from start to finish, never letting up. Not afraid to break forward and, like all the scorers, finding himself central in the box when the chance arose.
With players tracking back to cover the gaps as others pushed, this really felt like watching the Dutch masters from the 70s. Sentiment echoed on MOTD afterwards but already a major point of discussion in the stands long before Shearer, Rooney and Chapman had been given the chance to share their views with the nation.
Fifth (1 point) Kevin Schade
‘Only’ fifth for Kevin. He started this one at 100mph, haring down the wing or looking to play the ball through the Spurs’ (theoretical) back line.
He was like a man possessed. Capturing the twin elements of pace and ball control in a style that, when he can pull it off as he did on Saturday, must make him a nightmare to defend against. Something which eventually resulted in the award of the penalty kick after Rodrigo Bentancur was left needing to take the last resort.
For me, it was as much Kevin’s determination to chase seemingly lost causes as his reading of teammates’ movement to try and release whomever he could. Whatever freedom of expression and confidence had been given to the team over the close season, he’s lapped it up by the bucketload.
Great news all round and a team display that leaves our new man top of the table in this season’s race for player of the year. Next up, Sunday’s trip to Elland Road. It’ll be raucous but play anywhere near these levels and it should also be a lot of fun
Positions after matchweek 1 –
- 1st Mamadou Sangaré. 5 points
- 2nd Keane Lewis-Potter 4 points
- 3rd Mathias Jensen 3 points
- 4th Vitaly Janelt. 2 points
- 5th Kevin Schade. 1 points
