John Wenham was ‘excited’ by the Tottenham performance against Brentford
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There was lots to be “delighted” about for Tottenham during their opening Premier League match against Brentford, according to John Wenham.
On Sunday 13 August, the Ange Postecoglou era officially got underway as he took his squad to the Gtech Community Stadium for a clash with the Bees, which would end as a 2-2 draw.
Cristian Romero put the visitors ahead early, heading in a James Maddison free-kick, before Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa scored quick-fire goals to turn the tide for the Bees. Emerson Royal’s equaliser right before half-time ended the contest’s scoring.
Despite not getting all three points, Wenham highlighted that Brentford is a tough place to go and saw plenty of positives during the performance, which he feels will provide supporters with optimism for the season ahead.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Wenham said: “Lots to be delighted about, I was really pleased with the new players that came into the side.
“Destiny Udogie was absolutely fantastic, he ticks all the boxes. Any talk of him being weak defensively was binned and put to bed after that performance. He was superb at left-back, strong in the tackle, aggressive, winning the ball, carrying it forward and beating his man as well.
“I was delighted that Micky van de Ven was dropped straight into the line-up and played the full 90 minutes, that will have done his confidence a world of good. If you look at that for a left side, van de Ven and Udogie, both young players, 22 and 20, that could be the left side for a number of years.
“Obviously, it was quite a strange situation with Romero, who seemingly wanted to carry on from where I was sitting yet was told he had to come off, but I think the partnership at the back looks good, and fair play to Royal, popping up with that vital goal.
“Midfield was where I was most impressed, Yves Bissouma was absolutely fantastic, back to the player we’ve seen at Brighton. Looks like he’s going to be a huge player for us this season.
“Maddison demands the ball all the time, took all the set pieces and has got two assists already. He seems very confident, the fans love him, and he delivered a statement opening performance.
“I bet he can’t wait for his first home game in front of a packed crowd, against a big club like Manchester United, and he will be looking to be the star man for Tottenham, make no mistakes about that.
“He wins a lot of free kicks as well, and the beauty of him winning these free kicks is that his deliveries are absolutely fantastic, as we saw for Romero’s opening goal.
“Overall, really excited about the Tottenham performance and I think lots to look forward to this season.”
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