Tottenham Hotspur’s new Premier League season is off to a disastrous start after a 3-0 hammering away at Brentford left them bottom of the table.
The Bees were dominant on Saturday evening, going 2-0 up before the half-hour mark through Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt. Brentford kept control after the interval and made it three through Michael Kayode, killing off any hope of a Spurs comeback. Things nearly got worse when the hosts were awarded a penalty soon after, but Igor Thiago blazed his effort off the post and missed the chance to make it four.
The loss matches Tottenham’s heaviest opening-day defeat in Premier League history, equalling a 3-0 reverse suffered against Manchester United 15 years ago. It’s another grim data point for a club that finished 17th in back-to-back seasons and has now followed that up with a heavy defeat despite spending north of £230 million in the transfer market over the summer.
Reaction to the defeat
talkSPORT pundit and lifelong Spurs fan Jamie O’Hara, working the GameDay Phone-In, didn’t hide his anger at what he watched from his old club. He reserved particular criticism for Richarlison, who failed to have a single shot and picked up a booking for two fouls.
During his half-time assessment, the former Tottenham midfielder was blunt, saying there’s no excuse for starting a season that poorly, injuries or not, and calling the performance disgraceful.
He then turned his fire specifically on Richarlison, questioning the striker’s place in the squad and arguing he simply isn’t good enough anymore. O’Hara went as far as suggesting James Maddison would be a better fit through the middle, floating the idea of using him as a false nine ahead of Richarlison, insisting the Brazilian shouldn’t be playing for Spurs at all given his level.
O’Hara also pinned much of the blame for Tottenham’s last two 17th-place finishes on Richarlison and Lucas Bergvall specifically.
His frustration only grew after full time, warning that a repeat performance would send Tottenham into a relegation battle. He said turning up and playing like that was something the squad should be embarrassed by, branding it an absolute disgrace and accusing the club of being let down by Richarlison yet again. He admitted feeling ashamed to support the club after just one match, questioning how they could deliver that kind of showing on opening day.
Tottenham’s struggles were reflected in the numbers too — they failed to register a single shot on target in the first half, the tenth time that’s happened in a Premier League match since the start of last season.
The result is a particularly bitter pill given Spurs’ summer spending, which topped £230 million on new faces including Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson, and Sandro Tonali, all of whom started against Brentford. That outlay could climb past £300 million yet, with Savinho reportedly closing in on a move from Manchester City.
Tottenham get an immediate chance to respond when they host Newcastle United next weekend, while Brentford head to Leeds United aiming to stay top of the table.
