Brentford welcome Spurs to the Gtech on Sunday afternoon with spirts high following last weekend’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
In brutal conditions that nobody should have to endure (‘that’ drum giving yet another example, if one were needed, of why musical instruments should be banned at football) The Bees kept going and going at rain-lashed Selhurst Park.
0-0 becoming 1-0 becoming 2-0, with Bryan Mbeumo making it a perfect 10 for goals scored from the spot. His retaken effort after Marc Guhei’s encroachment meaning the initial attempt was struck from the record books and his first ever ‘miss’ would simply become the stuff of pub quizzes.
That excruciating period of time added on was ridden out in what ultimately would be relative comfort. Even if it didn’t feel like it at the time. Nathan Collins commanding the backline like Alexander the Great. Mark Flekken with the super glue-infused gloves. Damsgaard electric. Schade finding the net once again.
The obvious worry for Brentford fans being the injury-related substitutions of captain Christian Norgaard and Kevin Schade. The latter following a painful-looking clash of heads as he connected for our second goal. Friday’s press conference may reveal more but the initial assessment from Thomas Frank following the game was that there were no concerns. The head coach explaining, “Christian just felt a little bit in the knee. Kevin was just a precaution”
The one big selection question for Thomas will be that of who he picks at right back. Current regular Mads Roerslev was loaned out to Wolfsburg during the week. This following the arrival of Michale Kayode from Fiorentina. A player described by Thomas as “Very talented and is a fantastic physical package”.
The 20-year-old is available for selection although given the boss’s recognition that “He is, of course, young and will need to be developed”, one can only assume that fit again Kris Ajer will take the role,. All being well Kayode and Rico Henry (who missed out at Palace) both coming on from the bench.
That aside, it will surely be the same team as started at Palace: Flekken, KLP, van den Berg, Collins, Ajer, Nørgaard, Schade, Damsgaard, Mbeumo, Wissa. Brentford’s most attacking line up bringing home the points.
As for Spurs, where do you even start with the car-crash soap opera that keeps on giving?
Spursy (adj). See also: Spursyness. The ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. To choke like Greg Norman. To shoot yourself in the foot (although on current form, they’d probably miss their own toes).
It’s fair to say that much like Leeds United falling apart (again), Tottenham have achieved the quite incredible feat of uniting the football community in managing to find a self-inflicted form of universal derision.
Every excuse under the sun being found. Ranging from Chairman Daniel Levy’s apparent refusal to get the cheque book out to crippling injuries (absolutely no f*Ks being given by Bees fans for that one), they still have enough talent to be doing way better than they currently are.
Last Sunday’s capitulation at home to Leicester City, after taking the lead, about as hilarious as it gets. A result which saw them drop to 15th in the Premier League, just a single point above Everton who also have that game in hand.
Let’s be honest. Manager Ange Postecoglou is a really likeable breath of fresh air to the top flight. His gruff, no-nonsense approach with the press a mile away from the usual cliché and platitude so often spouted. Yet, at the same time, it’s almost as if he’s taken up the managerial baton dropped by Kevin Keegan and run with it.
They’ve got enough talent to be doing way better than this. Cry about absentees all you want but any team with that powerhouse duo of sh*thousery in Richarlison and James Maddison combined with the wonderful talent of Son Heung-min should be doing way, way better than this. Should have more backbone than the current jellyfish of a squad that they are looking like.
The one glimmer of hope being Thursday night’s performance in the Europa League. Whether for tactical choice or simply having nobody else to play, Ange threw the dice and chucked on the youngsters. They won. 3-0. Dane Scarlett (20), Damola Ajayi (19) and Mikey Moore (17) scoring the goals.
“You can’t win anything with Kids”, said Alan Hansen back in the day. Well, we all know how that turned out. Whether a group game against Elfsborg can be consistently replicated in the Premier League remains to be seen but nobody can deny that this would have helped bring back the ‘feel good’.
If nothing else, it will have brought Ange some brief respite. Even if Sunday could see that all blown away. Six top-flight defeats out of the last seven games going into the Brentford match is woeful form. The only light on the horizon coming from a League Cup semi-final first-leg lead against Liverpool.
With the vultures circling above the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, licking their lips at the prospect of another chapter in the never-ending cycle of ‘sack and rebuild’, who knows how that pressure may manifest itself?
The visitors are there for the taking. Thomas will, of course, guard his charges against the dangers of over confidence but, at the same time, encourage then to play the expansive pass and move that has brought so much joy this season.
This one should be an absolute banger. Let’s just hope that Ange forgets to bring his cup team.
