Spurs fans must have wondered what life after Harry Kane would look like. Over the past decade he has become Tottenham Hotspur in many ways. Their talisman, their record goalscorer - everything positive to do with the club was to do with Kane. But now the England captain has departed, a new era has begun, and judging by their 2-2 draw with Brentford, it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Kane’s departure has paved the way for others to come to the fore and under Ange Postecoglou, they dominated against Brentford. In particular James Maddison shone on his Spurs debut, registering two assists and providing the most threat for the away side. When Heung-min Son was withdrawn with 20 minutes to go, he even wore the captain’s armband, proving his importance to this new-look side.
We saw it with Postecoglou’s Celtic, but Tottenham played with so much control in the second period. They strangled a Brentford side who had caused them issues in the first half by keeping the ball relentlessly. After a topsy-turvy first half in which they took an early lead and then trailed, this was more like it for the Australian manager who will be encouraged by what he saw in the opening encounter.
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Richarlison got the start he has been craving, but it was Maddison who made the key impact across the 90 minutes. It was his free-kick that was headed in by Cristian Romero on his 50th Premier League appearance, before the Argentine was withdrawn after suffering a head injury, which was refreshing to see given the worries around concussion.
Brentford came back into it as Son’s start to life as Tottenham captain started poorly as he clipped Mathias Jensen in the box and after a VAR review, gave away a penalty. Bryan Mbuemo sent the new goalkeeper the wrong way to level the scores, meaning he has scored or assisted in each of his last six Premier League appearances without Ivan Toney.
In the absence of Toney, Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa were crucial in providing Brentford’s attacking threat, and it was Rico Henry’s burst down the left that created the goal. Wissa found space in the box to find the finish, deflected past Guglielmo Vicario by Micky van de Ven.
As Spurs looked like falling apart, they regained their composure in style.Unlikely goalscorer Emerson Royal moved into a midfield role in possession and he pinged one from the edge of the area to bring Spurs level during 11 minutes added time in the first half.
Mbeumo should have put the hosts back in front but he somehow missed the target from close range, after more excellent work from Henry, who will be pushing for a place in the England squad with performances like this. The second half showing, despite being goalless, gives us a hint of what is to come for Spurs.
They dominated possession and kept Brentford penned in, with Thomas Frank’s side unable to land a single blow on their opposition. The signs are incredibly positive. Life after Kane was always going to be tough, but with a few more attacking additions, Spurs might just be alright.
