Ange Postecoglou can’t ignore Brennan Johnson in Tottenham v Chelsea amid Timo Werner update
Brennan Johnson will surely get the chance to cement himself as a regular in Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham team against Chelsea on Thursday 2 May.
The Lilywhites will travel to face Mauricio Pochettino’s side at Stamford Bridge following their 3-2 north London derby defeat to Arsenal on Sunday 28 April, knowing they must win to keep their hopes of Champions League qualification alive.
But they will be forced to do it without on-loan winger Timo Werner, whose hamstring injury picked up against the Gunners means he won’t feature again this season.
“Timo’s got a hamstring injury,” Postecoglou said during his pre-game press conference (1 May), as shared by journalist Ben Jacobs on X.
“There’s two-and-a-half weeks left so he will miss the rest of the season.”
Attention now turns to his replacement on the left wing, with Richarlison fit once again after an extended spell out meaning he could slot back into the team and take up that role, or take the number nine position with Heung-Min Son moving to his preferred role.
But summer signing Johnson should be the man who steps up, despite a lacklustre performance against the Gunners as a substitute which saw him complete just 73% of his passes on the day and lose possession 14 times [Sofascore].
Brennan Johnson should start for Tottenham v Chelsea
If Postecoglou wants a similar player to Werner as a direct replacement, then the Wales international is perfect to step in.
The former Nottingham Forest star has notched five goals and seven assists in 27 appearances so far this campaign, but it’s his other attacking stats that stand out and make him an improvement on Werner.
While the German averages 2.2 shots per game in comparison to Johnson’s 1.6, it is the 22-year-old who leads the way everywhere else. His 1.2 key passes per game just edge out his rival, while he is fouled 2.5 times more often and caught offside more than half as often [via WhoScored].
His pace makes him a constant threat in behind, while his excellent control and dribbling mean he can come short to collect the ball deeper.
Werner’s passing stats are slightly better with an 80.8% success rate from an average of 24.8, passes per game compared to 75.7% from 19.2 passes per game, but it suggests he is just much safer in possession.
Against Chelsea, Postecoglou will want threatening runs and passes with risk. Johnson deserves the chance to stake his claim at being a regular.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs have been warned about UEFA regulations that could catch them out after the latest Premier League developments.
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