Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – live | Premier League

28 min It’s a very enjoyable match, is that this, and on the bench, Ryan Mason and one in every of Frank’s henchmen are booked for providing ideas in Anglo-Saxon. From kick-off, some brilliant spark, we don’t see who, has a dig. Amazingly, the ball sails excessive.

GOAL! Brentford 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Mbuemo pen 27)

PENALTY TO BRENTFORD

24 min … however now he’s known as to take a look and we see Son unable to cease himself going via Jensen because the ball is taken away from him. Welcome to the job skip! This is definitely going to be a penalty.

23 min Not instantly…

23 min Now then! Jensen, down the best facet of the Spurs field, geese inside Son – again to assist out – and Son clips him! That’s acquired to be a penalty, however the ref says no. Will VAR intervene?

22 min I meant to say earlier than, the water is again. Phew!

21 min Brentford look harmful now, Pinnock curling in a nasty ball for which Viacario cant come lest somebody impart a contact; nobody does, so he collects, nevertheless it’s one other warning.

20 min Brentford unfold it left once more, Henry chopping again a good low cross … however Udogie doing brilliantly to nip in from left-back simply as Mbuemo prepares to despatch the equaliser.

19 min More Spurs possession and, on the finish of it, an try at one thing definitive, Bissouma injecting tempo and wriggling previous a problem earlier than sliding one other ball in behind that’s simply an excessive amount of on it for Richarlison.

17 min Then, from the nook, Hickey collects Sanchez’s headed clearance, dragging a shot huge from the sting … a shot which takes a deflection, however this time Spurs get the resultant nook away.

16 min Spurs, by the best way, earned that goes, not simply with the supply and connection however by the best way they performed within the jiffy main as much as it. But now right here come Brentford, Norgaard successful a giant deal with exterior the Spurs field and Wissa sliding in Henry exterior him; his leathered shot is crushed away on the close to publish by Vicario.

15 min In different information:

13 min But that is no good – Romero appears to be departing with the top harm sustained when difficult Mbuemo, and he’s each bit as disenchanted as you’d count on – however that is good – a participant being saved from himself. That, my pals, is progress, and Davinson Sanchez comes on.

There was!

But was Romero offside?

GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Romero 11)

10 min Maddison cuts throughout Jensen, sporting the inevitable lunge, and Spurs have a free-kick on the left nook of the field. Maddison will fancy this…

9 min Eesh, Flekken comes for Maddison’s inswinger, will get nowhere close to, and does properly to see the ball drop away from prowling attackers.

8 min Nice from Spurs, Bissouma snapping a ball into Maddison, working in pockets, and he slides a intelligent move down the facet of the centre-backs that’s a little bit too sturdy for Richarlison. But it’s exactly the sort of service he’s there to offer, and shortly afterwards, his crew win a nook.

7 min

6 min First little bit of concerted Spurs possession, nevertheless it’s all side-to-side, Brentford pushing them again, then each Romero and Viacrio narrowly keep away from being caught in possession. This has been a full of life begin, either side seeking to pace the sport up.

4 min There’s nonetheless no water capable of get into the bottom, nevertheless it’s been determined that the sport ought to start anyway, now we’ve all absorbed the resonance of the damaged Britain metaphor.

3 min “He left coz you’re shit, Harry Kane, he left coz you’re shit,” sing the house followers. Then “Where’s your Harry gone.”

3 min Mbuemo and Romero head each other, however each must be wonderful.

2 min Thinking about footballing terminology – Alan Smith says Udogie is “sharp” – is that slower than “rapid”, which itself is slower than “lightening”?

1 min Immediately, we can see that Spurs are pressing high, men around the ball. But Brentford are doing likewise, winning the ball inside the final third and Norgaard’s low cross forcing Romero to kick away.

1 min And away we go!

The teams take the knee. Black lives matter.

The ref calls the captains together and will toss whatever trinket has replaced a good, honest, old-fashioned coin. The teams switch ends, I’m guessing because Son, who called correctly, wants to play with the sun behind his keeper.

“I’m not sure who I’m more surprised to see on stage with all those other stars,” writes Charles Antaki. “Grumpy old Van Morrison, or (surely not?) Radio 1’s own Hairy Monster, Dave Lee Travis.”

Kick-off delayed to an indeterminate time

The Spurs go over to the away corner, then huddle; a little change, but part of the rabble-rousing I mentioned.

“Mike Dean’s also working for Paddy Power,” notes Alan Pugh.

Football is the winner.

And here come our teams!

So where is this game? Spurs will, I imagine, look to gang up on and attack the spaces behind the Brentford wing-backs, sending Royal and Udogie forward to support Kulusevski and Son. Brentford, meanwhile, will look to hit their strikers and get close to them in support, while also looking to the aforementioned wing-backs to sling in crosses.

“Once again the MBM has inexplicably ignored the crucial issue at stake in today’s games,” chides Richard Hirst. “Will Fulham end the day top of the West London League? All else is incidental. PS Knowing you are a Dylan lover, I’m sure you can be relied upon to post a suitable tribute to the almost as legendary Robbie Robertson.”

This is one of my very favourite things: amazing artists getting together to sing. It’s a shame we’ve lost that, though UK grime acts and West African Afrobeats acts have recaptured the spirit in recent years.

“I wonder if Robert Jones (Merseyside) is the new Mike Dean (Wirral),” wonders Ian Copestake.

Lil Mikey has a new job!

“Football fans know I gave out my fair share of red cards in my career. But this one is less about early baths and instead about helping friends and families get a better deal on their rail tickets” — superstar ref Mike Dean joins with Railcard.co.uk to advertise ‘the fairest red card around; the Family & Friends Railcard’. “Remember to always carry your red card on match day … and you’re off!” he added.

Oh intelligent, intelligent.

I actually fancy Brentford’s midfield right here. Janelt, Norgaard and Jensen give them a little bit of the whole lot, and I’m undecided Bissouma and Skipp are geared up to cease them. It could also be that Maddison’s class makes the distinction in that space, nevertheless it looks like Spurs might want to depend on moments, somewhat than their skill to dominate and work alternatives that means.

I hate myself for saying this, however I do marvel if we’ve seen the perfect of Son. I can’t assist however worry he’s misplaced his burst although, with the brutal Kulusevski down the opposite flank, if there are balls coming into the field, he ought to get sufficient alternatives to train his still-tidy ending.

“Fairly uneventful” deadpans Postecoglu when requested about the previous few days’ exercise. But his crew are centered for a tricky recreation in opposition to opponent and he’s not placing an excessive amount of on his 4 debutants – they’ve all been working onerous in pre-season and need to present the sort of soccer crew they need to be. He’s identified Son, his new captain, for some time now, and thinks he suits in properly with the group. When in search of a management function you need somebody who embodies the crew you need to be and he does that, in order that’s why he was awarded the armband.

Bit of Big Ange motion:

“He gets it” is as soon as of my worst footballing cliches – it’s not onerous, there’s not a lot to get – however he will get it.

“Looking forward to new season,” chirps Yash Gupta. “Ange’s principles have been clear to see every time Spurs have played in friendly matches. Today’s match against Brentford is as tough as it gets since Brentford play their own way of football which has unsettled every team in the past. But I’m confident Spurs will win this. Thoughts on Udogie? Only played in friendly matches but looks like a real deal. A perfect combination of Ben Davies, Reguilon and Sessegnon.”

“How much was Udogie in the window” appears like the beginning of a good terrace tune, however I’m afraid I’m but to see him play. Given Son will need to minimize infield, he’ll need to be a one-man flank, however the inclusion of two defensively-minded midfielders ought to give him scope to do this.

They’ll discover Wissa and Mbuemo a tough proposition, however. It’s not that usually centre-backs face two strikers, and dealing with a person every – a bristling, bustling man every – may be very totally different to at least one between two. I’m sure Brentford need to get the ball ahead rapidly then get the centre-backs turned earlier than they’ve settled.

Playing subsequent to Van de Ven ought to assist. I’ve not seen a great deal of him, however his, er, profile suggests the 2 is usually a actually good mixture, every capable of go in or sit off, construct the play and dominate aerially.

I’m actually to see what Postecoglu does with Cristian Romero, who has plenty of expertise however, by 25, must have binned the hilarious however self-defeating wildness. If he can scale back the murderous scythes and ill-advised romps, he will be probably the greatest round – however that if is critically sizeable.

This is great. JAG is as woven into the material of soccer as any participant.

“Thought I’d chip in as a Spurs fan,” writes my colleague Tom Meltzer. I’m fairly positive we’re taking part in a 4-3-3 (and might be all season) somewhat than a 4-2-3-1, based mostly on what we’ve seen up to now and Ange’s historical past. Maddison is the extra attacking of two 8s, on both facet of Bissouma because the 6. Make of that what you’ll!”

Yes, I can see that. But if Skipp’s a defensive 8 and Maddison allowed to roam, the top end result will in all probability be pretty related.

Talking of whom, he offers debuts to Guglielmo Vicario in web, Destiny Udogie at left-back, and Micky van de Ven at centre-back. Then, in entrance of them, it’s Yves Bissouma – who barely featured final time period and Oliver Skipp, a muscular and aggressive, if restricted pairing, whereas Richarlison will get a go up entrance with new captain, Son, working from the left.

Ah, and right here’s Frank, curtains and all, on Sky. He’s excited to get going at residence – “hopefully we can make it rock and roll again” – and he’s glad to be an optimist, having misplaced Raya and Toney. But their replacements are excellent, round them their teammates are rising, and although it’ll be onerous to beat least season’s ninth place, you must dream. As for Spurs, he notes they’ve changed England’s no9 with Brazil’s, in order that they’ve made a few minor tweaks however not a lot has modified, and he’s been watching Postecoglu’s Celtic to get an concept of what he’s more likely to face.

Frank offers a debut to Mark Flekken, who replaces the Arsenal-bound David Raya having arrived from Freiburg. Otherwise, Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo are paired in Toney’s stead, and can look to stand up in opposition to and in behind Spurs’ centre-backs.

I’ll write these down, then we’ll have a take into consideration what they imply.

Teams!

Preamble