Tottenham returned to winning ways in the Premier League this weekend with an accomplished 3-1 home victory over Thomas Frank’s Brentford.
Ange Postecoglou’s players came back from behind to claim three points in North London after falling to consecutive league defeats.
It was a shaky start for Spurs as a chorus of groans reverberated around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Bryan Mbuemo opened the scoring inside 22 seconds with an instinctive volley into the top corner.
But, they did not take long to respond as record signing Dominic Solanke netted his first goal in Lilywhite with a classic poacher’s finish on the rebound after James Maddison’s effort was saved.
Tottenham’s press was too much for the Brentford defence to cope with as they were consistently wasteful in possession and gifted their opponents with multiple opportunities.
After his late winning goal in the Carabao Cup against Coventry City on Wednesday, Brennan Johnson got himself on the scoresheet again with a low arrowed finish which sailed past Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
After the break, the game was played at a frenetic pace with both sides exchanging blows trying to find
Guglielmo Vicario was forced into a couple of smart stops to deny Brentford from restoring parity as that equalising goal proved to be elusive for the West Londoners.
With five minutes to go, James Maddison wrapped up the victory for his side with a delicate chip over the onrushing Flekken to ensure there would not be any late drama.
As Tottenham picked up their second win of the season, here is some of the talking points after that victory.
Son thrives in a more central area
Saturday’s game saw Ange Postecoglou make a slight tactical adjustment to the positions of his players in possession and it paid dividends for Spurs.
Typically, we have seen the Australian manager demand that his wingers keep their width and hug the flanks, but the slight tweak meant attacking midfielder Maddison drifted over to the touchline whilst Son, who usually plays on the left-wing, moved into a more central position.
Not only did this allow Son to get more involved in the play, it also gave him the license to make darting runs in behind the Brentford defence, a movement the South Korean has thrived on during his career.
Despite not converting any of his chances, on another day Tottenham’s captain easily could have bagged a brace and still contributed with an assist for Johnson and Maddison’s goals.
Kulusevski and Maddison is the perfect midfield pairing
Brentford are renowned for making life difficult for any team they face, by setting up with a low block which stifles the creativity of their opponents and prevents players from finding pockets of space.
Recently we have seen Postecoglou choose to play with one natural holding midfielder and two more attack-minded midfielders in Maddison and Kulusevski.
The Swede and the Englishman complement each other so well, with the former able to use his strength and athleticism to contribute with the defensive work as well as covering every blade of grass.
Whilst the latter profits off Kulusevski occupying the attention of defenders as it unlocks more space from him to exploit and it halves the burden of the creative responsibility.
Cristian Romero is an 'attacking' defender
The phrase above might come across as confusing as it is a clear oxymoron, but it can be explained.
In the early stages of this campaign Romero has rightfully been scolded for being at fault for several goals they have conceded due to the vice-captain switching off.
His lack of concentration has been exposed on numerous occasions as he lost his marker Gabriel in the North London derby last weekend with the Brazilian thumping in the winner and Jamie Vardy ghosted in behind him to score Leicester City’s equaliser on opening day.
However, offensively the Argentine offers a lot. He’s always a threat from set-pieces having already scored against Everton this term and he constantly is looking for a forward pass, as he did for Spurs’ third goal.
After Yves Bissouma’s crunching tackle sparked a counter attack for the home side, Romero picked up the ball and played an incisive through ball to Son who set up Maddison for his first goal of the campaign.
There has been murmurs around the Tottenham fanbase that Romero should play in that holding midfield position due to the aforementioned qualities and his defensive frailties.
Also, when you consider that an accomplished and highly sought-after defender in Radu Dragusin is warming the bench most weeks in does make sense to at least experiment in shifting Romero’s role.
Brennan Johnson continues to prove people wrong
The Welshman’s confidence has ameliorated over this past week as he has found the net in consecutive games.
Johnson opted to delete his Instagram account last week after people inappropriately voiced their displeasure over the winger’s performance in the North London derby.
The 23-year-old has used the abhorrent abuse he received on social media as fuel for self-improvement and he has taken the criticism in his stride and proved the doubters wrong.
Johnson looked lively right from the first whistle and threatened to ripple the net earlier than he did but his shot drifted just wide of the post.
His goal was taken with conviction and the Spurs faithful broke into song praising Johnson because the character he has shown is admirable.
Consistency is the key now for the winger and if he can continue this form in front of goal Spurs could have a game changer on their hands.