Brentford 2-2 Spurs | Ange’s verdict: “Overall, a good performance”

Ange Postecoglou described our performance at Brentford as a ‘starting point’ as we kicked off the 2023/24 Premier League season and a new era with a 2-2 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.

In a storming first half, we looked well on our way when Cristian Romero planted home James Maddison’s free-kick for 1-0 and our first goal of the season after 10 minutes.

But things turned around quickly against a team that lost just twice at home in the Premier League last term as first Bryan Mbeumo’s penalty - awarded after a VAR review following Heung-Min Son’s challenge on Mathias Jensen - and then Joane Wissa’s strike, deflected past Guglielmo Vicario, put the Bees in front on 36 minutes.

It wasn’t over in the first half though as Maddison helped the ball on for Emerson Royal to strike a sweet low volley into the corner from 20 yards in the fifth of 11 minutes added time.

We then controlled the second half, moving up our possession to 68% and 18 efforts on goal to Brentford’s 11, but we couldn’t find a way through - Mark Flekken saved well from Richarlison and Son, while Rico Henry got back to block Richarlison’s effort from close range.

Speaking to SPURSPLAY from the Gtech, Ange told us: “I thought overall, pleased with the effort of the players, they gave everything, a good starting point for us. There was a fair bit going on in the first half and it would have been easy for the lads to lose their composure, drop their heads, but I thought they handled themselves really well.

“We controlled the game well in the second half, but we just lacked a bit of a threat in the front third, a little bit of creativity, but considering everything that happened, overall, I thought it was a good performance.

“I just felt we played a little conservatively in the front third. It’s understandable when there are four guys making their debuts for the club, we’ve changed the way we play, the players are taking in a lot of information at the moment, it’s only natural that they’re not as free in that front third as we need them to be, but that will come.

“It’s the first game of the season, whatever we did today we know we’ll improve - we’ll have to improve from here - but it’s a good starting point.

“It’s a difficult place to come, particularly after conceding a penalty and an own goal, it would have been easy for us to feel sorry for ourselves, but I never sensed that from the players, they got to grips with the game again and in the end we had to settle for a draw, but I thought we looked like the team who were trying to win it.”