Whatever optimism Tottenham had built up over an unbeaten pre-season vanished almost as soon as the new Premier League season kicked off.
By the 49th minute, Spurs were already three goals behind against Brentford, thoroughly outclassed by Roberto De Zerbi’s side. It was men against boys from the first whistle, with Brentford dominating every phase — physically, tactically, technically. The eventual 3-0 scoreline barely told the full story, especially with Igor Thiago rattling the post from a penalty, meaning Tottenham could count themselves lucky the gap wasn’t wider by full time.
There are some excuses available — injuries, an unfinished transfer window — but given the issues that dogged the club last season, this performance will have set off plenty of alarm bells regardless.
How it fell apart at the Gtech
Spurs were second-best everywhere on the pitch in the first half, consistently beaten to second balls, outrun, and out-muscled. There was a bitter irony in the fact that Tottenham had spent roughly £185 million rebuilding their midfield, only to be schooled by Brentford’s Mamadou Sangare — a player who set up the opening goal and looked entirely comfortable against Spurs’ expensive new options.
Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes offered some brighter moments after the break, Fernandes especially, but by then the game was already gone, with Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall both hooked at halftime after a rough opening period.
Defensively things weren’t much better. Antonin Kinsky, who’d looked sharp in pre-season, seemed shaky in goal, while Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi couldn’t handle Thiago. Reinforcements are on the way with Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro nearing returns, but the display echoed too many uncomfortable memories from last season.
Up front, the same story repeated. De Zerbi had to patch together a makeshift attack, and Tottenham rarely troubled Brentford’s back line — their best moments came from young Mikey Moore attacking the far post, though he now looks likely to head out on loan before deadline day. If anything, the defeat only highlighted how badly more signings are needed, with Savinho and Omar Marmoush reportedly on the radar, and exits possible too before the window shuts.
Why Spurs need to be decisive before the deadline
Missed penalty aside, Thiago was one of the game’s standout performers, regularly dropping deep to link play and giving Tottenham fits with his movement, physicality, and knack for spinning in behind. Coming off a 22-goal league season, the ex-Club Brugge man showed exactly why defenders find him such a handful — he occupies centre-backs, creates space for teammates, and brings real physical presence.
The contrast with Richarlison couldn’t have been sharper. Where Thiago kept causing problems on limited service, Spurs’ own number nine barely featured in the game.
Richarlison ended last season as Tottenham’s top Premier League scorer with 11 goals and added two more in pre-season, including a winner over Chelsea — yet doubts about his long-term future keep resurfacing. With only a year left on his deal and Marmoush possibly arriving, this could be the moment for Spurs to move him on, and Saturday’s showing only strengthened that case.
Across four seasons at the club, Richarlison has managed just 27 league goals, and his start at Brentford came mainly because Dominic Solanke was unavailable through injury. Solanke, despite his own fitness troubles, remains the more productive option by some distance — something this performance made painfully obvious.
Richarlison lasted 68 minutes, touched the ball just 21 times, didn’t manage a single shot, and gave the ball away five times. His off-the-ball work was arguably worse — Sky Sports’ Alan Smith remarked that Brentford’s defenders muscled him out of the game entirely, and the stats backed that up: two duels won from ten, zero aerial duels won from four, and little use as an outlet when Spurs needed to release pressure.
Richarlison has undoubtedly had his moments at Tottenham and remains a fan favourite in some corners of the fanbase, but it’s increasingly starting to feel like his time in north London is winding down. With Marmoush potentially incoming and Solanke back available, the club may need to make a tough call. If Spurs want to avoid another frustrating campaign, this defeat should be read as a clear signal that more squad changes are needed before the window closes.
