TOOTHLESS TOTTENHAM SUFFER SLIP-UP IN THE RACE FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPOT
NOT the greatest strategy if you want to finish in the Premier League’s top four, going two games without a single shot on target. Yet that’s toothless Tottenham’s problem right now.
Another 90 minutes, another zero attempts. Last week, it was Brighton. This time, it was Brentford who kept them at bay, despite Spurs having Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, and even Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Moura, who ought to be testing goalkeepers weekly. With five games to go, it’s advantage Arsenal, and that North London derby on May 12 is looming larger than ever.
Tottenham’s head coach Antonio Conte knew this was a bad result and it won’t make for pretty viewing in the analysis room.
Whereas previously they were scoring for fun, Tottenham seem out of ideas. Instead, it was Brentford who looked the likeliest to win this.
Thomas Frank’s side hit the woodwork twice through Ivan Toney but this draw still took them up to that coveted 40-point mark. It’s happy days for them, but not so happy for Tottenham.
‘We didn’t deserve three points,’ said an honest Conte afterwards. ‘Now we have to try to prepare for the last five games in the best possible way and stay in this race. The draw was fair. We have to accept this.’
Whether their best is good enough for fourth is the question. ‘We know what’s at stake,’ said Eric Dier, adding: ‘It’s still in our hands because we have to play (Arsenal).’
Half an hour before kick-off, the Brentford Community Stadium announcer was asking
young supporters their favourite player. More often than not, they named Christian Eriksen.
There’s talk of Eriksen returning to Tottenham this summer and he would certainly inject some creativity into this team.
Though there were hugs and handshakes galore with Kane, Dier and Ben Davies in the tunnel beforehand, that didn’t mean he would go easy on them. Eriksen was the most influential player on the pitch throughout, a thorn in Tottenham’s side.
Brentford had won five of their last six in the Premier League coming into this. It isn’t mathematically assured, but it’s safe to say they’re set for another season of top-flight football.
With Premier League safety comes a freedom. Knowing they need not fear the drop, Frank’s side can give it a go in games like this.
And that they did. As Frank said afterwards: ‘We got a result but we should have got a bigger result. We deserved to win.’
The best chances of the opening exchanges went to Brentford, with Bryan Mbeumo coming close with an effort that trickled down the wrong side of the post.
It took half an hour for Tottenham’s first shot and it was so wild and off target, commuters at nearby Kew Bridge station nearly had to duck. Rodrigo Bentancur was the man who skied it, with Kane and Son having barely had a sniff of the opposition goal.
That had to change in the second half. Kane’s first opportunity to score came in the 52nd minute when he held off Pontus Jansson before turning and shooting. It deflected over and this kick-started a period of Tottenham pressure. That was short-lived, however.
Brentford went on the attack and thought they’d scored after an hour when Mads Roerslev’s cross was flicked on by Jansson. It was heading in until Kane, having retreated to his own goal line, cleared it. Eriksen tried to finish the rebound but Hugo Lloris got down to make a super save.
Either side might have stolen the win in stoppage time. Toney’s header from an Eriksen free-kick crashed against the post before Mbeumo placed the rebound into the side-netting.
Tottenham then raced up the other end where Kulusevski picked out Kane, who attempted the incredible. His acrobatic scissor-kick flew wide by inches and with that, it finished goalless.
Conte said afterwards that his players will need to give ‘150 per cent’ if they’re to finish fourth.
Arsenal now have a twopoint gap over their rivals who might want to remember that old adage — if you don’t shoot, you don’t score.