How Son, James Maddison and new Tottenham attack fared without Harry Kane
Tottenham began life without Harry Kane with a trip to Brentford on Sunday, and it was up to the rest of Spurs' attack to help fill the gaping void left by Bayern Munich's new No.9.
But Sunday didn't just mark a new era in the Spurs forward line, it also marked Ange Postecoglou's first Premier League match in charge, only a day after sanctioning Kane's long-awaited transfer which could prove to be worth more than £100million. The Aussie-Greek boss has been recruited to bring the good times back to the Lilywhite half of North London, with a focus on playing an attractive brand of football while rebuilding a connection between the players and fans.
Four men will be key to that over the next few months; Son Heung-min, James Maddison, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski. Unless Spurs make a significant signing before deadline day, that exciting but unproven quartet will tasked with scoring the almighty volume goals which their now former talisman, Kane, was so reliable in doing.
Let's break down how each of them fared at Brentford.
Son Heung-min
Starting with Tottenham's newly-appointed captain, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane's partnership will go down in Premier League history as one of the division's most deadly duos. Now Son needs to start combining with other team-mates as well as being a leader both on and off the pitch.
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Unfortunately for the South Korean superstar, he didn't set the best example shortly after Tottenham had taken the lead through a Cristian Romero header - more on that shortly. A clumsy attempt to close down Mathias Jensen ultimately saw Brentford awarded a penalty after a VAR check and Bryan Mbeumo promptly punished Son for his hotly-debated foul, levelling the scores on 26 minutes.
Son's afternoon didn't get much better and he was subbed off with 15 minutes of normal time remaining. The question remains as to whether he's suffering a dip in form or have we seen the last of his world-class ability?
Son Heung-min gave away a penalty in his first game as Tottenham captain (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Cristian Romero profited from James Maddison's free-kick after only 11 minutes (Julian Finney/Getty Images)James Maddison
Talk about a dream start to life at your new club. After kick-off was delayed by seven minutes due to Brentford not having running water in the ground, James Maddison wasted no time in registering his first assist as a Spurs player.
After smartly winning a free-kick just outside the left of the penalty area, the former Leicester ace - signed for £40m - whizzed the ball in towards the six-yard box and found Cristian Romero's head. The Argentine defender had a simple task and nodded home, only to be substituted two minutes later because of a concussion concern.
Then the tide turned for Maddison and co. Just after Brentford made it 2-1 via a fortuitous Yoane Wissa strike, the 26-year-old playmaker got himself in the book with a yellow card for protesting a decision made by referee Rob Jones, who demonstrated Premier League officials' lowered level tolerance for dissent this season.
"Maddison, what's the score? Maddison, Maddison, what's the score?" rang out around the home crowd. He could soon tell them it was 2-2, having been central to the build-up for Emerson Royal's thumping equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
Handed the armband after Son's substitution, having been named of one of Spurs' vice-captains this week, Maddison was still pivotal in Tottenham's attack during the second half but his team as a whole were much less potent.
Richarlison
Scorer of just one Premier League goal last season, it's understandable why Tottenham fans aren't convinced that Richarlison is the man to follow in Kane's footsteps by prolifically leading the line for Spurs. Trusted by Postecoglou to start in this all-London clash, the Brazil international endured a typically quiet first half, despite the action-packed chaos around him.
His second half was more lively, firing off a shot which was well saved by Mark Flekken after the hour mark, but that was about it.
Have your say! Where will Tottenham finish this season? Let us know your prediction in the comments section.
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Richarlison huffed and puffed but remains on one Premier League goal for Tottenham (Julian Finney/Getty Images))
Dejan Kulusevski is expected to have a defining season (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Dejan Kulusevski
Now permanently a Tottenham player, it's somewhat of a surprise to learn that Dejan Kulusevski is only 23. With plenty of room to develop, his season under Postecoglou - having already worked under the impressive Gian Piero Gasperini and Antonio Conte - could his biggest yet.
Unfortunately for the Swede, it was a frustrating outing at Brentford with little to feed off. Almost everything went through either Son or Maddison, meaning that Kulusevski struggled for service on the right flank and what he did get he mostly wasted.
Up next for Kulusevski and his team-mates is a clash with Manchester United on home soil, just the kind of fixture which can spark a season.
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