adminTottenham Hotspur have endured a nightmare start to the new Premier League campaign, dropping to the bottom of the table after a comprehensive 3-0 defeat away to Brentford.
The Bees produced a dominant display on Saturday evening, with Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt finding the net before the half-hour mark to give the hosts a commanding advantage.
Brentford continued to control proceedings after the break and quickly extended their lead through Michael Kayode, effectively putting the result beyond Tottenham’s reach.
Things could have become even more embarrassing for Spurs moments later when they conceded a penalty, but Igor Thiago struck the post and missed the opportunity to add a fourth.
The defeat equals Tottenham’s joint-heaviest loss on the opening day of a Premier League season. Their previous 3-0 opening-day defeat came 15 years ago against Manchester United.
It is another worrying result for a Tottenham side that finished 17th in consecutive seasons and have now suffered another heavy defeat despite spending more than £230million during the summer transfer window.
What has been said about Tottenham’s defeat?
talkSPORT’s Tottenham supporter Jamie O’Hara was covering the match on the GameDay Phone-In and was left furious by what he saw from his former club.
O’Hara was particularly critical of Richarlison, who failed to register a shot during the game and was booked for two fouls.
Speaking during his half-time analysis, the former Spurs midfielder did not hold back.
“You cannot start a Premier League season like that, and I know there’s injuries, but that is absolutely disgraceful,” O’Hara said.
He then singled out Richarlison for criticism, questioning why the Brazilian remains at the club.
“With Richarlison, I don’t know why this guy is still at our football club, he ain’t good enough,” he argued.
O’Hara even suggested that James Maddison would be a better option through the middle.
“You’ve got Solanke… I’d rather play James Maddison up front. Like, genuinely, Maddison, I’ll play him as a false nine.
“Seriously, Richarlison cannot play for Tottenham anymore, he’s nowhere near good enough, get him off the pitch.”
He also blamed Richarlison and Lucas Bergvall for Tottenham’s disappointing league finishes over the past two seasons.
“(Lucas) Bergvall and Richarlison are the reason why we finished 17th for the last two seasons,” O’Hara claimed.
His frustration only intensified after the final whistle, with the Spurs supporter warning that another season of relegation trouble could be on the cards unless the team improves quickly.
“If we play like that we will go down, because you cannot turn up to a football match and play like that, they should be ashamed of themselves,” he said.
“That is a disgrace, an absolute disgrace, and we have been scammed once again by Richarlison.
“It’s so bad, I’m ashamed to be a Spurs fan – one game in.
“How can you give us that on the first day? Absolute guff.”
Tottenham’s poor performance was highlighted by the fact they failed to register a shot on target in the first half, marking the 10th time that has happened in a Premier League match since the beginning of last season.
The result comes after Spurs spent more than £230million rebuilding their squad this summer, with Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Sandro Tonali among the new arrivals handed starts against Brentford.
Their spending could soon exceed £300million, with Savinho reportedly edging closer to a move from Manchester City.
Tottenham will now have the chance to respond when they welcome Newcastle United next weekend, while Brentford will travel to Leeds United looking to maintain their position at the top of the table.
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