Peter Lynch

Sat 20 May 2023 9:00, UK

Tottenham have been handed a major boost for their clash with Brentford on Saturday (20 May) after it was revealed that Bees star Ivan Toney will serve an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules.

He was certain to give Ryan Mason’s side huge problems in their Premier League fixture in North London this weekend.

It means Thomas Frank will have to rely on his other attackers to do damage in the final third, with the boss potentially turning to pacey winger Kevin Schade in this regard.

That, in turn, could mean a busy afternoon for Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro, who will likely be up against the speedy attacker if he is handed a second successive Premier League start.

The 21-year-old played 86 minutes in the 2-0 win over West Ham on Sunday (14 May), winning both of his ground duels and successfully completing his only dribble attempt, as per SofaScore.

Before his switch to West London, Schade registered the seventh-fastest speed in Bundesliga history, hitting a figure of 22.6mph in the first half of Freiburg’s 3-1 win against Greuther Furth in October 2021, according to the official Brentford website.

Porro meanwhile won just three of his six ground duels in the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa last Saturday (13 May), as well as losing possession 15 times, as per SofaScore.

Given Toney’s absence for the Bees, the Tottenham full-back should have more freedom to roam forward, but he must also be wary of the deadly counterattacks that Brentford are capable of.

And worrying for Porro, Frank has shown a tendency to focus his efforts in the final third on the left-hand side, with 41% of the club’s attacks coming on that side, according to WhoScored.

This dwarves their attacks in the middle of the pitch and the right-hand side at 24% and 35% respectively – Porro will need to be at his very best.

In other Tottenham news, the North London outfit could turn to one Premier League ace this summer in a bid to fix their defensive woes.