An emphatic and fully merited Brentford win ensured big summer spenders Tottenham Hotspur ended Saturday bottom of the embryonic Premier League table.
Here are our Scout Notes from west London.
SPURS “NOT IN THE RIGHT PHYSICAL CONDITION”
Really, the result shouldn’t have been too much of a shock.
A well-oiled side whose players know each other inside out, against a team not just in transition but also still affected by myriad fitness issues.
Spurs were awful on Saturday, not registering a single shot on target until they were 3-0 down. Two quickfire chances for Mikey Moore (£5.0m) were the best they could muster; the fact that Mikey Moore was starting tells you much about where the Lilywhites are at the moment.
The xG of 3.96-0.47 shows that the margin of defeat could have been greater, too. Brentford missed a penalty to make it four.
But, unlike in the case of Manchester United, this was not a Spurs XI we’d expect to see for much longer.
Of the 11 players in the image above from BBC Sport, maybe three – Jan Paul van Hecke (£5.0m), Sandro Tonali (£5.5m) and Antonin Kinsky (£4.5m) – are names you’d still expect to be starting come the autumn. Perhaps Andrew Robertson (£4.5m), too, although Destiny Udogie (£4.5m) will share game-time with him.
Micky van de Ven (£5.0m), Pedro Porro (£5.5m) and Mohamed Kudus (£6.5m) will soon return, while Matheus Fernandes (£6.0m), James Maddison (£6.5m) and Dominic Solanke (£6.0m) built up their fitness levels with substitute appearances here. Then there are the expected arrivals of Omar Marmoush (£7.0m), Savinho (£6.5m) and, perhaps, Cody Gakpo (£7.0m).
As we said in our Spurs preview, Gameweek 7 is probably the time to reassess De Zerbi’s side, once the transfer market is shut, players are back from injury, and the fixtures are improving.
Until then, you wouldn’t mind your Fantasy picks facing Spurs based on Saturday’s evidence.
“For sure, we are not in the right… physical condition for a lot of reasons. For the players, they came late after the World Cup, because in Australia, we couldn’t work in the right way for the trip. We don’t take risk for a lot of things, but they are not excuses. They are the normal situation when you are building a new project, a new process. I don’t want time, but we have to pass through these problems.
“I knew after the Hoffenheim game, I said we are not in the right point, we are late for the start of the Premier League.” – Roberto De Zerbi
DREAM DEBUT FOR SANGARE
This Brentford XI was a) almost at full strength and b) pretty much the same as it was last season. They certainly looked a lot fitter than their opponents, and had a better understanding of each other’s game.
It also helped that their only full debutant had a blinder on his Premier League bow.
Mamadou Sangare (£5.5m) arrived to great fanfare, with his eye-catching DefCon rate getting plenty of attention.
And he was superb on Saturday, not just hitting the DefCon threshold (despite coming off early) but also chipping in with two assists and maximum bonus.
Above: Brentford players sorted by defensive contributions in Gameweek 1, via our DefCon page
Just to temper expectations, one of the ‘assists’ is not something you’d expect to see very often: a shot from outside the area that Kinsky parried into the path of Michael Kayode (£4.5m). That was the difference between an eight-point return and a 14-point haul.
But the attacking returns are a nice bonus. He piqued interest because of his Anderson-esque levels of DefCons – and the first test has been passed.
“You’re always looking for a new signing, to see how they adapt to that, coming from different clubs, even though on paper it should suit his style of play. But yeah, he’s slotted in really, really well. He’s adapted really, really well.” – Keith Andrews on Mamadou Sangare
DEFENDERS THRIVE AT SET PLAYS
Brentford had more shots from set plays (13) than seven other Premier League clubs managed in total on Saturday.
The dead-ball threat helped their back four to an impressive total of nine attempts, with both Kayode – from a set play – and Keane Lewis-Potter (£5.5m) – from a Sangare cut-back in open play – finding the net.
But Nathan Collins (£5.5m) and Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) could easily have scored, too. Collins couldn’t react quickly enough when the ball hit him five yards out, while Ajer nodded at Kinsky from even closer in.
“I have to say, set-piece-wise, we’re in a really good groove at the moment. We do look really, really dangerous.” – Keith Andrews
A 3-0 WIN – AND BLANKS FOR THE FRONT THREE!
Vitaly Janelt (£5.0m) pounced on a saved Mathias Jensen (£5.5m) shot for Brentford’s other goal.
It meant that, despite a handsome win, their front three ended empty-handed.
But there were positive signs from all three.
Dango Ouattara (£6.5m) was probably the liveliest of the trident before the break, shooting over before heading wide.
Kevin Schade (£6.0m), quieter before the interval, went on to have a game-high five shots in the second half, and would have had an assist had the penalty he won been converted.
Above: Brentford players sorted by shots in Gameweek 1, via our Stats Centre
And speaking of that penalty, Igor Thiago (£8.0m) missed from the spot after scoring 10 of his previous 11.
It was merely one of those days for the Brazilian, who also headed against the bar (a chance that was offside anyway) and was close to scoring with a near-post attempt.
A great opening day for Brentford, then, but a Leeds United side more akin to them (eg playing under the same manager, on an upward trajectory) will be a tougher test in Gameweek 2 than a half-baked Spurs side was here.
