Brennan Johnson has been a mainstay in the Tottenham XI this season
Tottenham Hotspur’s sequence of mixed performances and results continued on Sunday when they were stunned 2-1 by Premier League newbies Ipswich Town in north London.
The defeat was Spurs’ fifth of the new Premier League season, leaving them 10th in the table and sparking criticism and discourse surrounding Ange Postecoglou and his team selections. Owing to injuries to key stars, Ange Postecoglou has been forced to chop and change his first XI in almost every game.
This has been one of the main factors behind the Lilywhites’ highly inconsistent performances since the start of the campaign. Moreover, Tottenham being back in Europe means the Greek-Australian manager has had to rotate his squad and give the fringe players opportunities to keep everyone fresh and fit to tackle the gruelling campaign.
One of Spurs’ better players this term has been Brennan Johnson. The winger has endured many ups and downs since arriving at the club from Nottingham Forest last season. While he recorded 10 assists last season, sections of the fanbase were largely frustrated with his poor decision-making and lack of killer instincts in front of goal.
After blanking in the first four league games of this season, the Welshman went on a scoring run in a Tottenham shirt. Brennan Johnson scored in six consecutive games across all competitions that saw him become a regular fixture in Big Ange’s first XI as well as regain the faith of the supporters.
The 23-year-old scored in Spurs’ 4-1 win over Aston Villa but failed to trouble the scorers in the shock defeat to Ipswich. He was hooked after 84 minutes in what was a substandard performance where the winger struggled to make inroads against the visitors’ defences.
Former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace Alan Pardew has now questioned whether Johnson is good enough to start week in, week out for the Lilywhites. Speaking on talkSPORT after the game, he claimed the Wales international should be more of a squad player for Big Ange’s side.
“You’ve got young players with huge potential, even Johnson, who’s a regular in your first team. For me, taking him out of Forest and putting him into Spurs’ first team as a regular, I don’t think so. But in and out maybe. That’s the level we’re talking about. Now, Son, I think anybody in the Premier League, any of the top five clubs, would love him in their squad,” Pardew said on talkSPORT.
Johnson is not the kind of winger loaded with flair and tricks who gets fans off their seats, but he has been extremely effective both in and out of possession for the North Londoners this season. The Nottingham-born talent has started adding goals to his game, with seven strikes already under his banner.
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He works extremely hard off the ball, can spin and make intelligent runs behind defences, and gives players a run for their money with his blistering pace. Fans, pundits, and critics often tend to forget that Johnson is only 23 and not a finished article yet. While he has a lot to improve in various facets of his game, the Dragons’ star has been performing very well this season, and long may that continue.
