Playing their first match in 43 days thanks to the World Cup break, Tottenham picked up exactly where they left off against Brentford in a 2-2 draw, much to Antonio Conte’s chagrin. The faces involved may have been different with Cristian Romero, Hugo Lloris, and Richarlison all missing but the result was the same with the team falling behind early for the sixth consecutive game with a Vitaly Janelt goal in the 15th minute.
Conte-coached defenses are supposed to be confident in their positioning but this Spurs team has been anything but, leading to conceding early and needing to claw back into matches in the second half. Generally, the team is able to get a result from these scenarios but a team as well drilled as Brentford wouldn’t let all three points slip away. The issue is why do Spurs teams consistently fall into this trap?
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Japhet Tanganga started his first Premier League game of the season and looked incredibly uncomfortable. Conte didn’t opt for Davidson Sanchez to get a run out and paid the price, but also needing to choose between these two defenders is where Spurs’ lack of depth shows. It’s not an excuse as good coaches are able to improve players but there is a line where someone isn’t good enough to contribute at the level of what Spurs need.
Midfield is where the core of Spurs’ issues lie as they aren’t able to boss the game from the center of the park. Yves Bissouma was one of the best progressive passers in the Premier League with Brighton which earned him a move to North London but he hasn’t looked like the same guy at Spurs. Tentative in possession and not covering for Eric Dier and Tanganga, Bissouma let Brentford play the match on their terms in the first half.
Dier was the culprit for Brentford’s second goal as the Bees have…
