Preview (Brentford) & Match Report (Gooners – League & Coventry City – Cup)
Preview (Brentford) & Match Report (Gooners – League & Coventry City – Cup)
I said before the Newcastle and Gooners game that it would be a good test to see how far we’ve come against stiff opposition… or dropped…
We are currently 13th in the League, with the Spammers, Leicester, Palace, Ipswich, Wolves, Southampton and Everton just below us. So, we are in good company with the stragglers and strugglers. The worst start in 9 years. The question is, how long will the baying bloodthirsty Tottenham supporters give Ange before turning their anger (Ange, minus an “R”) on Ange Postecoglou, the Australian Skippy Bushwhacker?
Ange has said that he has always won a trophy in his second season… well, he hasn’t been under the umbrella of Daniel Levy and the board before. Daniel Levy, as we all know, hasn’t won a trophy in 25 years in charge of this club other than the lowly League Cup (2008). Last season, he (Ange) threw away the League Cup to Fulham by making nine changes; we’ve got Coventry on Wednesday; will he change his tactics and put out a strong squad or the same tactics as last season? [I am writing this part before the Coventry game; however, you will read this blog/ article afterwards]. More on Coventry later.
Spurs 0 Arsenic 1.
What can I say about the Arsenic and Old Lace game? Well, like Newcastle, we had most of the possession, shots on target, etc., but still lost by the odd goal. There is no way we can challenge City, Arsenic or even Liverpool… this season… as for the rest… well… you just want to cry.
Despite our poor start, Ange claims that we are progressing. And to be fair, we are. We are progressing downwards, an achievement—as I said above—that hasn’t happened for nine years. I think Mauricio Pochettino was in charge then… so he is in good company. And look what he went on to achieve (he had to leave our club to at least win some silverware, and that was with PSG, but nothing since). As for Tottenham, a couple of League Cup losing finals and, of course… the biggie… European Champions final, losing to the Bin Dippers. So, if he is in good company, he can achieve the equivalent before Levy sacks him.
As I said above, and repeat again, Ange is well known for achieving success in his second season at other clubs. He has his work cut out for him if he is set to repeat that with us. Maybe the Europa League, FA Cup, or achieve (again) for Daniel, the League Cup. God! Doesn’t it make your mouth water?!!
Two losses, a draw, and just a singular win in the club’s first four games of the season is currently our worst start to a campaign for nine years (which I’ve repeated three times).
Despite our poor start, Ange claims that his side has still progressed from their first campaign under him, which was a 10-match unbeaten run.
He – our manager – said, “We are a team that is progressing in many areas, with all that progress there are always new challenges and things you need to overcome. When I look at the four games in isolation this year, the football is probably more consistent and compelling than our first four games last year but obviously our results don’t reflect that. So, I think we have made progress in certain areas but there are other areas we need to improve on and that’s my job to fill those gaps as quickly as possible.”
Thoughts…
What can I say?
Yes, we dominated in some areas—possession, more than our opponents—but we still lost the two most important games of the season. We also drew against promoted Leicester and thrashed bottom-of-the-table Everton 4-0; as for the two biggies (Magpies and Gooners), we succumbed.
Postecoglou’s started his first season so well that perhaps he has invalidated his arguments on progression and made the current operations even more irritating, as we’ve seen how well we can work.
The predominant issue remains to create enough clear-cut chances, and if we don’t buck our ideas up and start scoring goals, we will not only fall further downward but also be humiliated by teams that are inferior to our supposed status. In other words, I can see teams meeting us (home or away) and fancying their chances.
Next up: – Coventry away in the League Cup.
We meet (now met) Coventry, but on the 18th of September 1993 (same date, 31 years apart) we beat Joe Royle’s Oldham Athletic 5-0 to go second behind United in the League. Goals from Teddy Sheringham (3), Jason Dozzell and Gordon Durie got the other two. That season we finished 15th, just above City on 16th. Ossie Ardiles was manager.
Coventry City 1 Spurs 2 League Cup
If the game ended after the 80/85th minutes, we would be talking about the booing from the fans, poor play from Tottenham and excellent effort from Coventry, who scored first. We will be talking about Ange as a silly cunnilingus … but a few subs on and hey presto, it all ended in rapturous applause; hand clapping, back-slapping in organismic portions with cries of bravo chucked in. Anyway…
… we won to save the fans’ blushes and Ange’s testicle/jaw dropping embarrassment. Spence and Johnson saved Skippy the bush kangaroo’s bacon.
Ange Postecoglou warned that “there is no quick fix” for his side despite our dramatic win over Championship side Coventry City in the Carabao Cup third round. Simply translated… this means that our team has more testicle/jaw dropping performances to come, if I had read him right.
Brennan Johnson scored a stoppage-time winner as two late goals helped us come from behind and paper over a shitty performance. We struggled for large periods and fell behind when Thomas-Asante gave Coventry a deserved lead. But Djed Spence secured for us an 88th minute equaliser after being put through by Dejan Kulusevski. So, we all walked home happy bunnies, forgetting that if Spence hadn’t equalised, we would all be spitting blood, Amen!!!
Brentford v Spurs
Before that, a bit more nostalgia. On September 21st, 1994 (30 years ago), we overpowered Watford at Vicarage Road in the League Cup to progress further. Ossie, our manager, oversaw us beating them by six goals to three; Jurgen Klinsmann got a brilliant hat-trick. The other scorers were Sheringham, Anderton, and Dumitrescu.
My prediction for the Brentford game; I am going for 3-1. However, after our three games, I am very apprehensive about this prediction. A draw or a defeat isn’t off the books.
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:
DWLL
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):
DWLLW
Brentford Premier League form:
WLWL
Brentford form (all competitions):
WLWWLW
Team News
Two fresh attacking absences this weekend could deplete us, as Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner were both injured in our victory over Coventry. Ange Postecoglou has admitted that Spence’s issue looks serious.
Possible line Up
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Up the Spurs!
Glenn