Tottenham Hotspur’s lavish summer spending failed to translate into an instant revival as they suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Brentford in their opening Premier League game of the season on Saturday.
Tottenham have spent more than £200 million ($272 million) in an effort to strengthen a squad that narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship on the final day of last season.
New manager Roberto De Zerbi handed Premier League debuts to four of his summer signings, with Sandro Tonali, Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke all named in the starting line-up. Mateus Fernandes was introduced in the second half.
But Brentford, operating with a fraction of Tottenham’s transfer budget, exposed the weaknesses in their expensively assembled squad with a vibrant and ruthless performance in west London.
Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt struck in the first half before Michael Kayode added a third shortly after the interval to complete a miserable afternoon for De Zerbi’s side.
Brentford could have extended their advantage further, but Igor Thiago missed a penalty that would have made it 4-0.
Tottenham’s spending is unlikely to end there, with Brazil winger Savinho expected to join from Manchester City. His City team-mate Omar Marmoush is also reportedly a target, with the two deals potentially pushing Tottenham’s summer expenditure beyond £300 million.
De Zerbi had previously called for his players to rediscover “the soul of the team” after Tottenham’s embarrassing 17th-place finish last season.
Instead, the Italian endured a performance devoid of character and leadership. He also made 20-year-old Archie Gray the youngest captain in Tottenham’s history, but the youngster could do little to inspire a team that repeatedly looked short of confidence and cohesion.
The defeat was only the second time in the last 11 seasons that Tottenham have lost their opening Premier League fixture.
Spurs surrender
Rock star Jon Bon Jovi watched from the stands, prompting inevitable references to his hit song “Livin’ on a Prayer” as Tottenham endured a nightmarish capitulation.
Brentford needed just 12 minutes to demonstrate that Tottenham’s enormous spending power meant little on the pitch.
Mamadou Sangare powered through a weak Tottenham midfield before cutting the ball back for Lewis-Potter, who finished confidently to give the hosts an early lead.
It was an impressive contribution from Sangare, the Mali midfielder who joined Brentford for a club-record £39 million from Lens during the close season.
Despite their recent spending spree, Tottenham lacked a player capable of providing the same energy and drive as Sangare as they struggled to break down Brentford’s disciplined defence.
Slow in possession and disorganised at the back, Tottenham conceded a second goal in the 33rd minute.
Richarlison was dispossessed too easily before Lucas Bergvall failed to rescue his team-mate with a weak challenge on Mathias Jensen.
With Tottenham retreating, Jensen unleashed a powerful effort that goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky could only parry into the path of Janelt, who calmly finished into an empty net from close range.
Tonali, signed from Newcastle for a reported £100 million, offered little in response and fired a long-range effort well over the bar.
De Zerbi reacted by introducing Fernandes, who joined from West Ham for £85 million in the close season, along with Rodrigo Bentancur in an attempt to inject greater energy into midfield.
The changes failed to address Tottenham’s defensive problems, however, and Brentford struck again just four minutes into the second half.
Sangare met Nathan Collins’ header from a corner with a fierce effort that struck Kinsky in the face before rebounding into the path of Kayode, who reacted quickest to stab the ball home from six yards.
Tottenham’s defenders were left rooted to the spot as Brentford effectively put the result beyond doubt.
Thiago then hit the post from the penalty spot in the 55th minute after Bentancur was penalised for barging into Kevin Schade, but by then the damage had already been done.
For Tottenham, the heavy defeat was a stark reminder that even a transfer budget running into hundreds of millions cannot guarantee an immediate transformation without cohesion, character and leadership on the pitch.
AFP
