As pressure mounted on Tottenham Hotspur and their manager Thomas Frank, a home match against Frank’s previous team, Brentford, wouldn’t have eased any nerves. Spurs’ home record thus far this season had been horrendous, and Frank would have felt the full weight of expectation going up against his old side. Instead of collapsing under said weight, though, Spurs were fueled by it, as they put together a controlled and composed performance to secure all three points.
With festive fixture congestion in full flight, Frank rotated once more, making five changes from the Newcastle match. One of those was enforced, with Destiny Udogie reportedly picking up an injury as he was replaced by Djed Spence, while Micky van de Ven also returned to the XI alongside a few other changes in midfield and attack. Xavi Simons was another of those changes, making his first start for Spurs in almost a month.
Spurs opened the scoring at the 25-minute mark, with Xavi heavily involved. An excellent run by the attacking midfielder from inside to out was found by an equally brilliant ball into the right channel by Pedro Porro, with the Dutchman squaring simply for Richarlison to finish from close range. Spurs, not content with just a one-goal lead, kept pressing forward with Randal Kolo Muani perhaps unfortunate not to double Spurs’ advantage with a close-range header straight at Caoimhin Kelleher. Things began to get a little chippy as well, with Michael Kayode receiving a caution for a late challenge on Richarlison, before a poor scissor tackle by Cristian Romero on Igor Thiago was likewise punished.
Xavi Simons was soon involved again, playing both creator and finisher for Spurs’ second goal. Winning the ball well in the press near the halfway line, Xavi burst forward into acres of space with Brentford’s defense parting like the Red Sea. Kristoffer Ajer eventually decided to come across to try and prevent a shot, but he was too late, as Simons finished calmly into the bottom left past Kelleher. It was probably one of Spurs’ best halves of the campaign thus far, as they took a two-goal lead into the break.
Djed Spence could and should have added a third soon after the break, as an error at the back by Nathan Collins resulted in the fullback free in the Brentford box with only the keeper to beat. He looked destined to score, but Kelleher rushed out and Spence was only able to strike tamely at Brentford’s custodian. Mohammed Kudus soon tried his luck with an effort of his own from outside the box, while Micky van de Ven prevented a Brentford chance with an excellent last-ditch tackle on Thiago.
Spurs looked to solidify things with some substitutions, while Brentford did the same in an effort to get back into the match. One of those replacements, Wilson Odobert, soon found himself in behind the Brentford defense, with Kelleher on the case once more, before Kudus’ subsequent finish from a tight angle was flagged for offside with Odobert’s initial run a little eager. Spurs had a further chance for a third with another late opportunity, Spence squaring for Sarr in space in the penalty area, but the Senegalese midfielder fluffed his lines as he was unable to sort his feet. It was of no consequence though, as Brentford remained completely unable to create anything of note and Spurs cruised to a 2-0 win.
Reactions
Finally, a performance to be proud of. Spurs were easily the better side, and looked cohesive and focused for one of the first times this season. The fans responded as well, with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd in full voice following some challenging times this season.
Yay for a home win!
You can thank me in part for that; as soon as I brought Igor Thiago into my Fantasy lineup, he was never going to score.
The other part of the performance was thanks to Thomas Frank realizing both Bentancur and Palhinha can’t play together in midfield, and then also starting Xavi Simons at the #10. An actual creative presence in midfield, in this economy?
Hard to say though what Brentford’s plan was here. Spurs have struggled to play under pressure and through the middle all season, so of course Brentford sat off Spurs and allowed them to completely bypass the midfield by leaving acres of space in the channels. Very odd tactics.
That said, though, Archie Gray was excellent. He is quietly turning into a very cromulent midfielder, and his athleticism and movement today caused plenty of problems for Brentford. Should he be one of the first names on the teamsheet going forward (outside of our back four)?
Really nice to see Xavi Simons throw off some of that weight of expectation heaped upon him due to his price tag with a fantastic performance. That’s what we paid for.
It was a much-improved performance from Kudus as well. After a rough outing at Newcastle, he was more efficient today: using his skills and strength in the right situations, getting his head up and not trying to overplay his hand. More of that please.
The question now is if Spurs can build on this performance, or if it’s another false dawn. We won’t have long to wait to find out, with a midweek Champions League match against Slavia Praha.
COYS!