The emphasis has been misplaced on Tottenham’s deficiencies rather than acknowledging Brentford’s exceptional performance in Saturday’s heavy defeat of the north London club, according to journalist and supporter Ian Westbrook.
Following Brentford’s 7-0 pre-season victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, reservations were expressed about allowing that result to inflate expectations for the season ahead. The temptation to get carried away after Saturday’s remarkable triumph over Spurs remains resisted, though the quality of the display makes maintaining composure increasingly difficult.
Mamadou Sangare enjoyed a debut beyond his wildest imagination, while Keane Lewis-Potter delivered an outstanding showing that demonstrated precisely why Keith Andrews selected him at left-back despite the availability of established defenders Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey. In truth, no player underperformed, and Igor Thiago, despite blazing a penalty over the bar, matched anyone’s work rate in another solid collective display.
Nonetheless, and as frequently occurs when the Bees defeat one of the elite six clubs, commentators directed their attention toward Tottenham’s failure rather than Brentford’s achievement. Discussion centred on the considerable funds Tottenham had invested and how their expensive acquisitions such as Sandro Tonali looked significantly short of match fitness. Others characterised Brentford’s approach as bullying Spurs, which is an unwelcome characterisation implying physical intimidation of visitors when nothing could be further from the truth. They neglected to highlight the excellence of the opening goal, a sequence of 15 passes featuring a delightful interchange between Sangare and Dango Ouattara. Alan Shearer on Match of the Day did offer some well-deserved recognition, yet numerous headlines fixated on Spurs appearing as poor as they were during the previous campaign.
Nevertheless, everyone associated with the club has always been comfortable operating outside the spotlight. Even the broadcasters are giving minimal coverage, with just one of four October fixtures selected for television. That arrangement suits those who attend matches, who favour the traditional Saturday three o’clock kick-off time. However, should this standard of performance be sustained, it will not be long before Brentford rather than opponents dominate the headlines.