"It’s a little bit different emotionally" - Pundit questions Tottenham star after missing Brentford draw
Tottenham Hotspur managed to pull off a comeback to secure a Boxing Day draw against Brentford upon their return to the Premier League today (December 26). Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney gave the hosts a two-goal lead. However, Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg managed to secure a comeback for Spurs and secured a draw in the process.
Fraser Foster started in goal for Antonio Conte's side as captain Hugo Lloris was on the bench following his return from the FIFA World Cup. Former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson, however, was surprised not to see the returning Frenchman start the game. On Amazon Prime, he said:
“I kind of expected him to play because when you look at it in all honesty, eight days since the World Cup final, nine days ago Ivan Perisic played in the 3rd place play-off. You look at the minutes he played during the World Cup, it’s a little bit different emotionally."
France & Spurs skipper, Hugo Lloris turns 36 today 🎉
Happy birthday 🎂 https://t.co/VFjhqPBrCI
Robinson further added:
“I don’t understand, if he’s gone to the manager and said he’s not ready to play, I can understand that. But you look at the manager’s team selection throughout the rest of the side, the World Cup players are there, obviously apart from [Cristian] Romero.”
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte addressed his team's defensive issues ahead of the January transfer window
Japhet Tanganga got a rare start for Tottenham during their clash against Brentford. That prompted questions about whether Conte will look for defensive reinforcements in January.
The Italian, however, said that Cristian Romero will be back at Tottenham training tomorrow following his FIFA World Cup triumph with Argentina.
Conte is confident that his team's defense is good enough, as he said (via Football.London):
"Now we have recovered also Japhet Tanganga, also the first game of the season. He started a lot with his knee. He needs a bit of time to get into the game. I'm pleased for him to play a game today. With central defenders we are good, we have to continue to work."
He added:
"Cuti Romero comes back to training tomorrow. In one side, I'm a bit disappointed in the other we're scoring a lot of goals and creating a lot."
Awful first half. Stating the obvious but we badly miss Romero and Bentancur. Spurs look lethargic. Tanganga has had a first half to forget but so have most the side.