Stuart Pearce ‘disappointed’ by what he saw up close from Tottenham player
Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to build momentum under Thomas Frank.
his Tottenham side sit third in the Premier League, with Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha proving to be excellent signings under the Danish manager.
Sixteen Spurs players were called up for international duty, with Frank hoping for all of his players to maintain their fitness whilst playing for their country.
Former Premier League manager Stuart Pearce was shocked at how badly one Spurs player played on Thursday, as he watched on from the stands.
Stuart Pearce criticises Brennan Johnson’s performance in England vs Wales
England eased to a 3-0 victory against Wales at Wembley, with all three goals coming within the first 30 minutes.
Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Bukayo Saka’s strikes compunded the misery on Brennan Johnson, who started on the right wing for Wales.
Johnson was ineffective when trying to get past Spurs teammate Djed Spence and was eventually substituted in the 76th minute.
An unforgivable stat showed that Johnson failed to win a single duel in the match, losing out on all three that he was involved in.
| Minutes played | 76 |
| Touches | 12 |
| Duels won (percentage) | 0 |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Pass accuracy (percentage) | 86 |
Speaking on talkSPORT on 10 October, Pearce slammed Johnson for what he saw from his performance whilst at Wembley for the match.
He said: “I was really, really disappointed with Brennan Johnson, both in possession and out of possession.
“It was as though he was looking after himself for next week’s game, that’s how it looked to me.”
Wales have a crucial World Cup qualifier against Belgium on 13 October and Johnson may have had one eye on that match instead of focusing on the friendly against England.
After the match, Spence poked fun at Johnson’s performance after getting the better of him on the night.
Johnson has been criticised for his poor start to the season with Spurs, with the 24-year-old not proving to be effective despite scoring two goals in the league.
His pass accuracy of 73.8 per cent is woeful, whilst he has often been on the periphery of matches, registering only 111 touches in his first seven matches.
What isn’t helping Johnson is Kudus’ impressive early-season form, meaning he must step up his standards soon under Frank.
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Brennan Johnson must replicate Mohammed Kudus’ form
The lack of chance creation has been a real issue for Johnson, having only created three opportunities in seven Premier League matches this season.
Kudus leads the way for Premier League assists, with his total of four providing a stark contrast to Johnson’s zero.
The 24-year-old is perfectly capable of replicating last season’s form, where he registered 22 goal contributions in a struggling side.
He is clearly finding it difficult to adapt to Frank’s new system, yet his outing at Wembley will certainly not do him any good.
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