Tottenham Hotspur are preparing to face Coventry City in the EFL Cup but one player has endured a tricky few days after the North London derby defeat.
The last few days have been difficult for Tottenham Hotspur fans.
Sunday’s North London derby ended in a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Arsenal, meaning Spurs have won just one of the first four Premier League games this season.
Tottenham conceded from a set piece against Arsenal once again with Gabriel Magalhaes heading home from close range.
This was supposed to be the game in which Tottenham really took it to Arsenal with Declan Rice suspended and Martin Odegaard ruled out through injury.
Tottenham lacked a cutting edge against Arsenal though, a problem Alan Shearer thinks is becoming all too common for Spurs.
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Ange Postecoglou on Brennan Johnson
Tottenham’s attack just didn’t click on Sunday.
One part of that was Brennan Johnson, who just didn’t get anything out of Jurrien Timber down Tottenham’s right flank.
The Welshman didn’t offer enough of a goal threat in the final third which is a disappointment after a strong impact against Newcastle United before the international break.
Sadly, Johnson has received online abuse and subsequently decided to deactivate his Instagram account after Sunday’s defeat.
That is not how any Tottenham player should be treated and Ange Postecoglou has now moved to defend the winger.
Speaking to Football London, Postecoglou admitted his frustration that online abuse has become so normalised and it has changed how footballers receive stick from supporters.
Postecoglou added that Johnson is lacking confidence at the moment and his situation is ‘hurting him a lot’, but he is trying so hard in training.
The Spurs boss confidently claimed that he will get the best out of Johnson moving forward and believes the winger simply doesn’t deserve the abuse he is receiving.
“I hope not. I hate how we’ve just normalised all that stuff,” said Postecoglou.
“I’ve been around long enough and even when I was playing, I copped a fair bit, but it was usually on the terraces and then the game was over and you’d go home. When people are at the game they get a bit frustrated that you’re not playing well, they give you some fairly direct feedback, I’ve had all that.
“You’re talking about a young guy who is probably lacking a bit of confidence at the moment. Things haven’t gone his way, but he comes here every day, he’s working his backside off, he’s asking for feedback, he’s doing everything right, he’s trying so hard to become the player he wants to be, it’s hurting him a lot.
“It’s not like he’s out on the town and he doesn’t care and he rolls up late. So what’s his crime? His crime is he isn’t performing at the level that people expect of him. As a professional footballer you’ve got to expect that you’re going to get criticism about that, that’s part of your growth. He’s still a young player and I think there is so much more of Brennan that we’re going to bring out in him.
“It’s sad for me that we’ve kind of normalised that stuff. That getting abuse, and it is abuse and a lot of it personal, is ‘oh well, that’s part of the territory’. I don’t see that,” he added.
Johnson can still become a star for Tottenham
Tottenham coughed up considerable money for Johnson, paying £47.5million to sign him from Nottingham Forest in 2023.
The wide man ended his first season at Tottenham with five goals and 10 assists in the Premier League and seemed to be moving in the right direction.
Johnson had become dangerous both when attacking the byline and when moving into the six-yard box to score.
This season has been a mixed bag though with Johnson shining against Newcastle but struggling in other games.
Johnson has yet to register a goal or an assist this season and Sunday certainly wasn’t his best day in a Spurs shirt.
Johnson is still developing though; yes, Tottenham need to see some progress this season but he is still 23 and learning his craft.
We have seen enough from Johnson to suggest that he can still become a star down the line, but he needs to become a little more consistent with his performances and end product whilst possibly adding some power to go along with his speed.
The talent is there and Postecoglou clearly believes in Johnson to get it right – and hopefully prove his doubters wrong.
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