View: Tottenham player ratings from Premier League opener with Brentford
Ange Postecoglou officially got his Tottenham reign underway as he made his Premier League managerial debut, overseeing a 2-2 draw away at Brentford on Sunday 13 August.
While the lack of flowing water into the G-Tech Community Stadium meant kick-off was delayed, there was certainly plenty of flowing football on the pitch once proceedings eventually got underway in West London.
A trip to Brentford was by no means an easy opening day task for the new charismatic Tottenham boss, although there were plenty of positives for the 57-year-old to take away from his first game in charge.
By the break, the score was 2-2 following a pulsating first half of football that saw an unprecedented 11 minutes added on, and while there would be no more goals in the second half, the intensity of the game remained high.
Overall Spurs were the better side and controlled the game. However, they did demonstrate that they can be weak on the counter-attack and this is something their new head coach will need to address on the training pitch at Hotspur Way.
Here, Tottenham News has provided a player rating for each and every Spurs player that took to the field, which included four debutants for the club.
Goalkeeper – Guglielmo Vicario – 6/10
While he didn’t do much wrong, and neither of the two goals conceded were his fault, Spurs’ new shot-stopper did look nervy at times on his debut.
He tried to distract Bryan Mbeumo before the forward took his penalty in the first half and was booked for his troubles, before being sent the wrong way as he conceded his first competitive goal in Spurs colours.
At times he left his box to clear danger and didn’t look entirely confident in doing so, while he also played a few nervy passes.
However, he was successful with 100 per cent of his run-outs, dealing with three out of three, and made four saves, although only registered a successful passing accuracy of 63 per cent (Sofascore).
Not the most convincing debut, but enough to suggest that with some confidence and experience under his belt, he can do well at Tottenham.
Right-back – Emerson Royal – 7/10
At times it was difficult to tell whether Emerson was playing as a right-back or central midfielder, as he spent the majority of his time in the middle of the park.
When his side were in possession he would come infield, acting as an inverted full-back, something which many supporters wouldn’t have expected him to be capable of doing, although he played the role well, and managed to even get himself on the scoresheet.
His superb strike from outside the box in stoppage time brought Tottenham level and he was calm and composed when he had possession in midfield. He saw plenty of the ball, making 135 touches, and had a successful passing accuracy of 91 per cent as he completed 96 of his 106 passes.
Defensively, however, he was suspect. The 24-year-old was twice beaten for pace out wide and, on one of the occasions, this led to Brentford’s second goal. He was dribbled past twice and made just one tackle, while only winning three of his eight ground duels.
Overall though a good performance for a player playing in a relatively new role, and a fantastic goal that was as crucial as it was impressive.
Centre-back – Mick van de Ven – 7/10
Although it was a deflection off of his boot that put the ball past Vicario for Brentford’s second goal, besides this moment he did not put a foot wrong during what was an impressive debut display.
The 22-year-old looked incredibly calm and composed on the ball, and showed moments of impressive physicality and rapid pace as he demonstrated he can adapt well to life in the Premier League within Postecoglou’s style of play.
He made two tackles as well as five clearances and won 100 per cent of his ground duels (five out of five) as well as 80 per cent of his aerial duels (four out of five).
In addition to this, he was successful with his two dribble attempts and had a successful passing accuracy of 94 per cent, completing 67 out of 71 passes. Overall a very confident debut.
Centre-back – Cristian Romero – 5/10
Due to an injury that occurred in the aftermath of his headed goal, which put Spurs ahead in the 11th minute, forcing him off, his rating is only a five, although for the 14 minutes he did play he looked impressive, completing eight out of eight passes.
Centre-back – Davinson Sanchez (substituted on for Romero) – 6/10
Coming into a Premier League match as a forced substitution is never easy as you quickly have to get yourself up to the speed and intensity of the match.
Sanchez did alright throughout the game, making two clearances, blocking two shots and making one interception. He also had a successful passing accuracy of 92 per cent but did not look as composed on the ball as Van de Ven did next to him.
A solid display from the Colombia international but a notable drop-off from the quality Romero brings to the side.
Left-back – Destiny Udogie – 7/10
A very impressive debut for the Italy Under-21 international. Just like Emerson, he played as an inverted full-back in possession, often making powerful runs through the channel, which threatened the Bees’ backline.
He also looked immense defensively, demonstrating levels of physicality that would have had supporters forgetting he is still just 20 years old. On multiple occasions, he showed incredible recovery speed to get back and make crucial interventions.
Udogie made three tackles as well as three interceptions and registered a successful passing accuracy of 94 per cent with one of the 62 passes he completed being key. This is certainly a player for fans to get excited by.
Midfield – Oliver Skipp – 6/10
Another case of a player who didn’t put much of a foot wrong but also struggled to create much of an impact going forward.
Skipp worked hard in midfield but wasn’t as impressive on the ball as his teammates Yves Bissouma or James Maddison.
He completed 37 of the 39 passes he attempted, a successful passing accuracy of 95 per cent, and won one aerial duel, one ground duel, as well as making one tackle.
A solid display but certainly an area of the pitch which can be improved upon to better suit the system.
Midfield – Yves Bissouma – 8/10
A fantastic, man-of-the-match performance from the Mali international. Bissouma was excellent on the ball, gliding across the surface at the Gtech Community Stadium. He looked like a different player compared to the man who struggled for confidence last season.
He controlled proceedings, often recycling the ball for Tottenham in midfield as he made 136 touches, registering a successful passing accuracy of 92 per cent, completing 103 out of the 112 passes he attempted. In addition to this, he was successful with seven of the eight dribbles he attempted.
Defensively he was also impressive, winning 11 of his 15 ground duels, as well as making two clearances, two interceptions and three tackles.
It seemed as if there wasn’t a Brentford player on the pitch who could get the ball off Bissouma and his tidy approach was key to Postecoglou’s men dominating possession throughout the contest.
Midfield – James Maddison – 8/10
Second-best to only Bissouma in a Spurs shirt, Maddison had a brilliant debut performance as he provided two assists as well as creating a host of other opportunities.
The £40million signing was fantastic on the ball, always looking to create and pick up pockets of space. Just like Bissouma, he was tidy in possession and played a brilliant ball into the box from a free-kick in the 11th minute, which Romero nodded home to give Tottenham the lead.
Maddison was successful with 55 of his 62 passes, an accuracy of 89 per cent, with six of those passes being key. He also created one big chance and chipped in defensively, making one interception and one tackle.
It was a creative performance the club has been crying out for for years, since the days of Christian Eriksen, and if the 26-year-old can continue with these levels of performance this season, Spurs will surely score plenty of goals.
Right-winger – Dejan Kulusevski – 6/10
Kulusevski struggled to make much of an impact from the wide area. He picked up the ball on multiple occasions and did okay in possession but was unable to make many meaningful contributions.
He made one key pass but only registered a passing accuracy of 84 per cent while he was successful with his one dribble attempt.
His defensive contributions were important, as he made four tackles and one interception as well as winning six of his eight ground duels, but overall he didn’t leave much of an impression on the game. Plenty of room for improvement for the Swede.
Left-winger – Son Heung-min – 5/10
An underwhelming performance from the recently named Tottenham captain. The South Korea international continued on from last season’s poor form against Brentford.
Although a soft decision, his first major action as the club’s captain was giving away a penalty in the 25th minute, which offered the home side a route back into the game.
He struggled to make any meaningful contribution from out wide and was often left isolated on the left-hand side of the pitch. The 31-year-old only managed to make 46 touches and completed 30 passes from the 34 he attempted, an accuracy of 88 per cent.
Neither of his two attempted crosses were successful and he only managed to have two shots. Perhaps the pressure of his first game as captain took a toll and Son might need a bit of time settling into Ange’s system before he has an impact.
Striker – Richarlison – 5/10
On his first attempt to fill the boots of Harry Kane, the Brazil international did not cover himself in glory. He was largely anonymous throughout the match and missed a great chance during the second half when he was played in by Maddison.
He only managed one successful dribble and completed just 72 per cent of his passes, giving the ball away 13 times. He was unsuccessful with all five of his aerial duels and won just one of his six ground duels.
If Spurs are going to have any chance of success this season they will need Richarlison to step up or otherwise might need to dip into the market for a new number nine.
Substitutes – Ivan Perisic (6/10) and Pape Matar Sarr (5/10)
Both players were brought on as part of a double substitution in the 75th minute and had little opportunity to impact the game. Sarr was rather anonymous after coming on, but tidy in his approach, completing 19 out of his 19 passes and winning his one aerial duel.
Perisic was slightly more noticeable, completing all three of his attempted dribbles, and making one accurate cross as he looked to create.
In other Tottenham News, Spurs Scout has identified a player who could develop under Postecoglou.