Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou defended his comment about "always" winning trophies in his second season after their defeat to Arsenal last weekend. (More Football News)
Despite Arsenal missi🍨ng several of their key players, Spurs were undone in familiar fashion as Gabriel Magalhaes nodded home from a set-piece to secure the North London bragging rights.
Spurs last won a title back in 2008 in the League Cup and curren🌳tly occupy 13th in the early-se꧟ason standings, having picked up four points from their first four Premier League games.
Postecoglou was left confuse🍌d and amazed by the negative reaction to his comments and is still 𝓰confident that he can lead Spurs to a trophy this season.
"It's amazing, isn't it? I just stated a fact. Am I supposed to just༒ lie or just say it never happened,” Postecoglou said. “But do you really think it's me sort of boasting? It's just confusing to me that people are making a big deal out of something. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer something tha𓃲t is true.
"I've just said something that's true, and it seems like it's upset a lot of people for some reason. In my 26 years of managing, I’ve had success and most of that has come in the second year, not all of it. Sometimes it’s happened in the first year, sometimes in theဣ third year.
“I don’t see why that puts extra꧋ pressure. It doesn’t put extra pressure on me because I love the fact that I’ve done that. It’s what I want to do🔥 here.
“I’ℱd like to think that just sa✤ying the truth is the way to go forward but I think sometimes that’s too confronting for people, they’d much rather I didn’t."
Brentford, meanwhile, were involved in Carabao Cup action in midweek and booked their place in the next round with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Leyton♕ Orient.
Fabio Carvalho starred for the Bees, notching aꦑ goal and two assists as he continues to find his feet under Thomas Frank since his mov♐e from Liverpool during the transfer window.
Frank was pleased his side were able to avoid an early exi๊t from the competition, saying the level his players reached on Tuesday is something they⭕ must maintain if they are to return to winning ways in the league.
“It’s job done. I’ve said it many times: we want to go on a cup run, we want to go as far as possible and potentia💫lly win it - we know it’s difficult but that’s the aim,” Frank said.
“In these games, I need to find the perfect balance between putting a strong team💙 out there, the mix of freshness but also with the game on Saturday in mind, and then also using the squad, because players need that to develop and also want to be included.
“We hit the level to🌺day; credit to Leyton Orient, they did well in the first 20 minutes, we didn’t get enough control, but then we got our goal, and from there we were in control.
“3-1 ahead at half-time; second half, I wanted us to be even✱ more on top, but it’s not easy, they gave everything. But I'm pleased."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tottenham – Pedro Porro
Only Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-Whitℱe (11) has created more open play ch🐈ances in the Premier League this season than Tottenham’s Pedro Porro (10).
The Portugal international is the onl🉐y player to have created four or more open play chances in two different games this season (four against both Leicester and 🐲Arsenal).
Brentford – Mark Flekken
Flekken has made 22 saves in four Premier League matches this season, six m🧸ore than any other goalkeeper, and he may be needed once again in North London.
Since 2003-04, only one goalk🔴eeper has ever made more saves in a team’s 💟first four games in a season – Tim Krul for Newcastle in 2015-16 (23).
MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN
Many say the first goal is the most important one, but that has not prove🎐d to be the case in this fixture. The team scoring first has won non🐎e of the last four Premier League meetings between Tottenham and Brentford (D2 L2).
Spurs have won just four points in the Premier League this season (W1 D1 L2), their fewest at this stage since 2015-16 (3). They haven’t lost three o🍨f their opening five games since 2008-09 under Juande Ramos, who left the club eight wi😼nless games into that season.
The hosts will also need to improve from set-pieces. Only Nottingham Forest (27) have conceded more set-ღpiece goals (incl. penalties) in the Premier League since the start of last season than Tottenham (25).
Among all managers who’ve conceded more than 50 goals in Premier League 🌱history, only four have a higher percentage of goals conceded via set pieces than Ange💦 Postecoglou (25/65, 38.5%).
Brentford have also won just one of t𝓀heir six Premier League meetings with Tottenham (D3 L2) and have struggled away from home, losing 12 of their last 16 matches away from the Gtech Community Stadium.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Tottenham – 58.8%
Draw – 20.5%
Brentford – 20.6%
