Gary Lineker was really delighted with Tottenham’s ‘fantastic’ £40 million player in a 3-1 victory against Brentford.
Ange Postecoglou elected to choose an unchanged lineup from the Arsenal defeat, placing the onus on his Tottenham players to improve their performance.
Despite a rocky start, they accomplished just that.
Dominic Solanke scored, James Maddison played well in the midfield, and Brennan Johnson stood out on the right wing, deflecting criticism.
Of course, three points for Tottenham will mean little in isolation; Postecoglou must now find a method to beat Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion before the next international break.
But it’s definitely encouraging that Tottenham have responded strongly to previous disappointment, and a successful template appears to be in place.
James Maddison was praised for his ‘excellent’ overall performance against Brentford.
On Match of the Day, Danny Murphy and Gary Lineker praised Maddison’s performance for Spurs, highlighting his particular skills.
Murphy praised the £40m midfielder’s season start, while Lineker added his own appreciation.
Murphy began: “I chose him because he was the greatest player on the pitch. Some elements of the media and individuals have questioned his start to the season, and I believe this is due to Tottenham’s poor start.
“He began this season similarly to the previous one. He was Leicester’s top player on the first day. He was outstanding against Everton, and they won.
“Against Newcastle, he helped them control the game for lengthy periods of time, which he arguably should have done, and tonight, in this deeper role that Postecoglou has assigned him as a central midfielder, with Kulusevski front of him, he was simply magnificent.
“He is constantly bold, goes for the ball under pressure, and passes with confidence. And he often puts them on the offensive because he accepts responsibility.
Lineker said, “He’s a brilliant player, he really is.”
Guglielmo Vicario continues to create problems for Spurs.
Among Tottenham’s impressive efforts, Guglielmo Vicario had some standout moments against Brentford.
As usual, the Italian made several fantastic saves, but his performance was hampered by poor decision-making in his box.
Vicario lost the ball at his feet in a critical position in the first half, but appeared to handle it outside of his box in the second.
To achieve long-term success, Tottenham may need to replace Vicario, who might still be their Achilles heel.
However, it was a pleasant day in N17, and many will hope that this performance marks a turning point.
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