Tottenham did not do better than a 2-2 draw at Brentford for the resumption of the Premier League on Sunday, the day after the official departure of their star striker Harry Kane at Bayern Munich. The north London club, eighth last season, opened the scoring (11th), were overtaken (26th) then overtaken (36th), before equalizing (45 5) by Emerson Royal just before the break , in a first period where all the goals were scored.
The return to school for Spurs and their new coach Ange Postecoglou was therefore lively, if not controlled. It will quickly be necessary to tighten the bolts to participate in the race for European places, where they failed last year. Manchester United’s reception next Saturday will provide a first, high test for the partners of Son Heung-min, the newest captain.
The South Korean striker inherited the armband in place of French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, leaving after 11 seasons with Spurs, and who was not even on the substitutes’ bench on Sunday. The Italian Guglielmo Vicario (26), ten years younger, played his first official match since arriving from Empoli. The most difficult departure will nevertheless be that of Harry Kane, the club’s all-time top scorer with 280 goals, who left for Bayern after nearly two decades in north London.