London. Brentford were leading the show before suddenly losing focus.
Spurs finally appeared, albeit characteristically late.
What would Boxing Day be without the long-awaited football – and a good dose of anxiety.
World Cup matches and Christmas Eve in all their glory, but there’s just something special about waking up in London on a suitably sunny and cool Boxing Day. Sitting on a crowded bus with a bit of Christmas cheer, albeit satisfied passengers.
On Boxing Day, you either go to a park for a much needed long walk or go to soccer. There are likely to be other activities too, but you don’t need much more than that to maximize your Christmas holidays the English way.
Inside Brentford Community Stadium – Gtech as the sponsor’s name now reads – fans greeted the hosts as if they were missing family members. Reasonable treatment given that domestic football has been conspicuous by her absence since mid-November.
Thomas Frank contributes powerfully to a sense of belonging. The Dane recently signed a new contract and it’s not hard to understand why he deserves such a Christmas gift. Especially against the bigger clubs, it is evident that he has developed a game plan that works almost every time.
As long as his players don’t stop running and avoid comical mistakes like the unfortunate 1-5 defeat away to Newcastle. Or he relaxes a lot when everything seems to be going well.
Tottenham did not shine on Monday afternoon but they did capitalize on Brentford’s false sense of security.
Frustration at first
When Dejan Kulusevski fell to Rico Henry midway through the first half, Spurs’ frustration was evident. Brentford’s back five line becomes like a wall in front of goalkeeper David Raya. There are not many ways to beat the ball if the ball is rotated at a little speed, and although the hosts preferred to direct Spurs’ play towards the flanks, they kept marking there too.
At the same time, Brentford is not a team that stands by and hopes for the best. Sometimes high pressure is applied, forcing opponents to think quickly and leading to careless plays. The key players in this dynamic system are strikers Evan Toni and Brian Mbeumo who are an attacking threat but not very good at providing defensive support.
The 1-0 goal will not be posted on any of the Tottenham Defenders social platforms. Mbeumu lofted the ball to the right wing, where Matthias Jensen fired quite freely. The end changed direction after goalkeeper Fraser Forster controlled just enough to fail to clear the ball from the penalty area. Instead, Vitaly Janellet charged forward to score Brentford’s first goal in the First Division on Boxing Day since 1946.
Antonio Conte, in the usual manner, looked at the grass. He wasn’t proud. And perhaps less so, when Eric Dier’s oblique kick gave the home team a grateful corner kick after the break. The great Christian Norgaard headed in Toni who rolled it 2-0, a change tested on a previous occasion.
Christmas miracle
During the match there were many examples of Brentford’s intelligence. They may not have the best players on paper but small details can make all the difference. Like when Tony illegally stood in front of Clément Lenglet to stop Tottenham from getting the game started quickly. Those few seconds helped Brentford get to the right place.
Tottenham needed a Christmas miracle. Anything that ignites a spark. Until the 65th minute, Harry Kane was largely anonymous, but such a player sees opportunities where others can’t discern anything. Suddenly he slipped past the Brentford defense and headed the ball into the net.
Hope grew among the away supporters. The ball was rolled very quickly and for the first time there were really good trends when Spurs stepped forward. Kulusevski took credit for assisting Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with twenty minutes left and the red and white fans staring anxiously ahead. Mbeumu seemed so moved by the seriousness of the moment that he posed for an awkward photoshoot soon after.
It doesn’t even require sight
It ended up splitting points, but one can suspect no one was overly happy. Brentford because they lost focus. Spurs because they found the soul too late.
A large couple in caps bearing the home team’s club crest passed me into the press box.
– Funny team, isn’t it, said the one who walked with a blind cane.
You don’t even need good eyesight to understand that Tottenham’s habit of only starting to play football after the break is a problem.
Conte could point to the fact that many of his players are fatigued by the World Cup. Rodrigo Bentancur was absent from the midfield due to the double reason of injury and suspension. But just knowing it takes a little bit of magic from Kane to bring the team to life doesn’t spark the right kind of fear in the competition. They know there is always a good chance of getting a much needed advantage.
As soon as the arena was emptied, an icy wind made the hair stand on end. Worrying about lost leads and worrying about under-performing. Anxiety about the future. The Premier League is back and it’s impossible not to love every second and every feeling.