Spurs’ 4/10 “nightmare” with fewer touches than Vicario must now be benched

Having returned to form and constructed a three-match winning streak in the Premier League after a tough spell, news that Tottenham Hotspur‘s Cristian Romero was set for a spell on the sidelines cast a shadow over preparations for the trip to face Brighton & Hove Albion.

Not for the first time, Ange Postecoglou fielded a makeshift backline consisting of four full-backs across the backline, but once again this patchwork effort failed to yield a winning result.

Losing 4-2 at the AMEX Stadium, Spurs have sqaundered the opportunity to draw level with third-placed Aston Villa, and while the defence was arguably at fault, Postecoglou will be disappointed with the efforts of some of his attacking players.

Brennan Johnson’s performance vs Brighton

Earning his seventh start from eight fixtures in the English top-flight, Brennan Johnson flattered to receive on the right wing and will have left Postecoglou unconvinced that he deserves a starting spot going forward.

Bemoaning the 22-year-old winger is perhaps unfair, while he cost Tottenham £47.5m to sign from Nottingham Forest in the summer, the fee is outside of his control and there are many attractive qualities that hint at a successful career in north London.

So far, he has posted one goal and three assists in the league, averaging 1.1 key passes and 3.0 ball recoveries per game; he has been described as a “nightmare” for defenders to stop by content creator HLTCO.

But the Wales international was ineffective against a relentless Brighton side that implemented their gung-ho approach to near perfection, firing a fusillade of attacks on the ever-impressive Guglielmo Vicario’s goal.

As per Sofascore, Johnson took just 28 touches – almost half of Vicario’s – before being hooked after 70 minutes, completing ten passes and attempting only one blocked shot.

While he made one key pass and won four of his six contested ground duels, the £70k-per-week ace failed to make a single tackle, clearance or interception – while he is a forward, this shows a lack of defensive application against a surging home side.

Branding him with a lowly 4/10 score in his post-match ratings, football.london’s Alasdair Gold said: ‘Had an opportunity when running through in the first half but hesitated and fluffed his effort. Threatened to make an impact but never really did.’

Why Brennan Johnson must be dropped

After the disappointing defeat, Postecoglou might be inclined to shift Dejan Kulusevski back into his favoured right-wing role and allow Johnson to take a breather on the bench.

While injuries have shaped the troubles that have plagued the Lilywhites’ campaign after such a resounding start, Tottenham’s midfield was outfought and outthought in the crucial central battle.

The No. 10 is a necessary component of Postecoglou’s system but it might be wise to indeed move the lively Kulusevski onto the right and bolster the engine room with the likes of Giovani Lo Celso or Oliver Skipp – who missed Thursday’s clash with a knock – to establish an additional branch of control.

That’s not to say that Johnson should be excluded from contention, nor even that he should not receive a starting berth for the forthcoming period, but it could just be a prudent move to make a tweak and allow Spurs to rekindle their verve, having fought so gallantly in the face of adversity this season.