OMT *** Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford FC ***

[Finney Is Back]

If only a club had tried that experiment recently, of not trying to stop the opposition, of only thinking about football in one direction, I wonder where they would finish in the league...

In 5th place and then Europa Leavue winners in the following season I’d say.

 

[braineclipse]

There will not be any larger pattern yet imho. Not until we get a fully functional attack. He's not a magician. I think the strategy of getting us to be solid and not lose games is correct FOR NOW.

I maintain that for me half a season is enough to see at least some patterns. But fair enough to disagree.

Possibly Burnley away if we have the players who are currently missing returning. Sunderland, I think will be another "don't lose" game.

So for now at the very least this is who we are. And likely to continue for the next 5-10 games (second 5 in that are mostly tougher games so more like 10).

So around three quarters of a season probably won't be enough to see any larger pattern either? Will we have to wait until next season before larger patterns are likely to emerge?

 

[Eriktheviking]

A

And that's exactly why I didn't want him. I don't want to "not lose." I want to win. I want to fail whilst at the very least trying. We're going to fail no matter what. There's too few trophies and moments in the game. So why fail with football this boring? Why not have even just a little bit of ambition?

Fans didnt seem to feel that way with the last guy, Ange.

 

[Finney Is Back]

That eating with you must be an experience!


Sounds like you’re ready for a nice breakfast!!


Here’s my appx take on that game:

1. go there and setup for more expansive football and we probably have less than 1 in 10 chance to win it.

There is a lack of respect to Brentford. Hard to travel there and not get beaten.

2. Setup as Frank did, and our XG was fractionally in our favour. So call it 6 out of 10 times we’d win it.

We were in that game to the end. Finished the stronger team and had chances to nick all three points at the end.

Were we the perfect polished outfit? Of course not! But wtf are people expecting with a very limited attacking squad playing only a feed before. A team with clear issues and holes, missing our first choice 3 attackers from last season. Under the circumstances we did amazing.

We are developing a foundation. Something to be able to play better from.

Watching that game back again today (boy I must be a glutton for punishment) I really don’t see how you can say we’d win it 6 times out of 10. Where on earth was our goal coming from?

Fotmob had the XG as 0.92 for Brentford v 0.86 for us, with Brentford having about two thirds of the momentum. I think it was probably 7 x 0-0s, 2 x 1-0 defeats and 1 x 1-0 win if we played that match 10 times.

Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur - live score, predicted lineups and H2H stats

Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur on Thu, Jan 1, 2026, 20:00 UTC. Check live results, H2H, match stats, lineups, player ratings, insights, team forms, shotmap, and highlights.

www.fotmob.com

 

[Finney Is Back]

That isn’t the case.

This is what has happened: we tried to play instant fast counter-attacks at every opportunity. We ended up handing possession back to the opposition and losing. We would look for that instant break, the ball wasn’t quite on, and we would cede possession.

So Frank has said to the team: if you’re not confident in making the pass, recycle it. As the side develops its movement and passing, this makes sense.

It is massively frustrating how low on confidence the forwards are. We routinely miss simple short passes. Richie yesterday had 3-4 where if he gets the short pass right we are baring down on goal. We’re zhit in attack and have been since the start of the season. Who’d have guessed it when missing so many first choice attackers.

I see it differently. I see our central midfielders receive the ball and choose not to pass forwards but instead play a safe pass that fits our horseshoe formation. I think it very likely this is the manager’s preferred style of play due to how often it happens and the fact that the manager has kept on picking these players playing in this way.

 

[Mabspurs]

I think it is hard for players to pass the ball when it appears they have been forbidden to make forward passes centrally through the midfield. The passing options presented are pretty much exlusively horseshoe shaped, making it extremely easy for the opposition to pick up our players and hard for our players to find a teammate. The upside is that when the opposition turn over the ball we're not exposed defensively in the transition phase. It is very much a safety first tactic that pretty much exclusively worries about ensuring the opposition find it hard to create good chances while not caring that it will be very difficult for us to create good chances ourselves (I think we're trying to win 1-0 via a set piece).

I didn't see horseshoes yesterday... just donkeys with blinkers unable to play a simple routine 10 yard pass.... with many actually attempted through central midfield, missing a teammate by as much as a yard or two and ending up in the feet of the Brentford players to start a counter....

 

[SpurMeUp]

Watching that game back again today (boy I must be a glutton for punishment) I really don’t see how you can say we’d win it 6 times out of 10. Where on earth was our goal coming from?

Fotmob had the XG as 0.92 for Brentford v 0.86 for us, with Brentford having about two thirds of the momentum. I think it was probably 7 x 0-0s, 2 x 1-0 defeats and 1 x 1-0 win if we played that match 10 times.

Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur - live score, predicted lineups and H2H stats

Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur on Thu, Jan 1, 2026, 20:00 UTC. Check live results, H2H, match stats, lineups, player ratings, insights, team forms, shotmap, and highlights.

www.fotmob.com

THE BBC XG was over 1 for us and about .9 for them. Even if you say it was 50-50 that’s decent odds away at a team with a strong home record.

 

[Finney Is Back]

THE BBC XG was over 1 for us and about .9 for them. Even if you say it was 50-50 that’s decent odds away at a team with a strong home record.

We all know that the BBC can’t be trusted…. They probably spliced together the XGs from 2 different games

 

[billyiddo]

Understat had us slightly ahead too

 

[K.D.D.D.D.Soc]

Watching that game back again today (boy I must be a glutton for punishment) I really don’t see how you can say we’d win it 6 times out of 10. Where on earth was our goal coming from?

Fotmob had the XG as 0.92 for Brentford v 0.86 for us, with Brentford having about two thirds of the momentum. I think it was probably 7 x 0-0s, 2 x 1-0 defeats and 1 x 1-0 win if we played that match 10 times.

Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur - live score, predicted lineups and H2H stats

Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur on Thu, Jan 1, 2026, 20:00 UTC. Check live results, H2H, match stats, lineups, player ratings, insights, team forms, shotmap, and highlights.

www.fotmob.com

I don't need to remember my algebra to figure out we struggle to score, that's why its amusing when I read we are going to score 3 in a game.

 

[parj]

I see it differently. I see our central midfielders receive the ball and choose not to pass forwards but instead play a safe pass that fits our horseshoe formation. I think it very likely this is the manager’s preferred style of play due to how often it happens and the fact that the manager has kept on picking these players playing in this way.

That is what I see too. I don't think TF gets teams didn't really sit back against Brentford, whereas with us, they do. Sometimes, you just need to play the killer pass.

I also don't think having Palinha against a team that is happy to sit off helps as he won't pick a killer pass. If you are one of our attackers, would you run for the first pass, or know that it won't come so you don't run. I have complained a lot about lack of movement, and that's the only genuine reason that explains it. There is no way the players are that bad that they can't make a run.

 

[braineclipse]

I see it differently. I see our central midfielders receive the ball and choose not to pass forwards but instead play a safe pass that fits our horseshoe formation. I think it very likely this is the manager’s preferred style of play due to how often it happens and the fact that the manager has kept on picking these players playing in this way.

My new "favourite" is one of the two deep midfielders in possession with a bit of space facing the right way with the entire opposition team defending and ahead of them.

Meaning that we have the two centre backs behind them being marked by no one. Meaning that ahead of the ball we're outnumbered by two.

Another "favourite" is just how static our midfield two is when we have possession. OK, we probably don't want Palhinha receiving in between the lines under pressure. But they're just there, so easy to mark/pick up. So easy for the opposition midfielders/forwards. If not making a forward run, move sideways, or even deeper in line with the centre backs. Make the opposition player have to make a decision on if they want to follow you there or not. Maybe if we move the opposition has to move too.

We're seemingly not even trying to create space. Which again goes back to the point that we're seemingly satisfied with a draw. In this particular game fair enough, but that's seemingly the approach in most games other than the worst handful we've played this season.