The draw with Brentford showed that Spurs will not fall apart without Kane, but there are questions about where the goals will come from
For so long the Harry Kane team, Spurs are seeking a new identity. Now that Bayern Munich are die Harry Kane Mannschaft who will fill the void? Ange Postecoglou has said he is not looking for a new striker, perhaps he will be after this semi-eventful draw at Brentford.
As Thomas Frank pointed out afterwards they have swapped England’s number nine for Brazil’s, but Richarlison toiled alone up front with little notable output. He dallied over one late shot to give Nathan Collins time to block. Too often in a Spurs shirt his first touch is less Garrincha and more Gisele.
Son Heung-min has assumed the captain’s armband but looked as cowed and erratic as he did for most of last season. Creative fulcrum elect James Maddison delivered a devilish free kick which was converted by Cristian Romero to open the scoring but later put a shot straight at Mark Flekken from presentable range.
By then the game was drifting pleasantly towards a mutually agreeable draw after a first half which used up the action quotient. Four goals, four Spurs bookings, one penalty, Bryan Mbeumo sending Gugliemo Vicario the wrong way, and kick-off delayed by seven minutes due to water supply issues. Sadly Matthew Benham’s powerful algorithms are unable to fix the plumbing.