View: Tottenham trio feature as forward Brennan Johnson underwhelms in Wales draw with Armenia
Brennan Johnson, Ben Davies and Tottenham loanee Joe Rodon were all left frustrated during a 1-1 draw with Armenia on Saturday 18 November, with the Spurs striker failing to impress during his cameo appearance.
Johnson and Davies look likely to return to Hotspur Way next week cutting two very dejected figures after they failed to capitalise on a golden opportunity during their UEFA European Championship qualifier with Armenia, leaving their chances of automatic qualification for next summer’s showpiece tournament hanging by a thread.
A victory on Saturday and against Turkey would have seen Wales book their place in Germany, instead, while still needing a victory over Turkey during their final qualifier on Tuesday 21 November, Rob Page’s side must also hope that Armenia can avoid defeat against Croatia, with the prospect of the play-offs now looming very large.
Davies and Rodon both started the match as Wales were left with a mountain to climb when Armenia took the lead after just five minutes through Lucas Zelarayan, who came back to haunt the nation once again following his brace against them during the shock 4-2 victory in June.
Despite this, the pair recovered relatively well and didn’t put too much of a foot wrong defensively. As per Sofascore, Davies, who was captaining Wales, made two clearances, two interceptions and three tackles, while winning all four of his ground duels.
He also completed 88 per cent of his passes and played two accurate long balls forward in what was a relatively composed performance.
Meanwhile, Rodon, who is spending the season on loan with Leeds United, made four clearances and blocked two shots while also making one tackle, although he was dribbled past twice. In addition to this, he won just one of his five ground duels, however, he was dominant in the air, winning five of his seven aerial duels.
Going forward he was much more influential than Davies, as he completed 92 per cent of his passes with one of those being key, had a shot off target and played four accurate long balls forward, but his most notable contribution arrived on the stroke of half-time.
Connor Roberts’ throw-in was flicked on by Rodon, with the ball hitting Nair Tiknizyan, who headed into his own net.
This left the score level at half-time, and with Wales chasing a much-needed winner, Johnson was introduced in the 50th minute, coming on to replace David Brooks.
Ultimately, it was a change which failed to pay dividends, as the 22-year-old struggled to make any sort of impact. During his 40 minutes on the pitch, he had just one shot which was blocked, made just 16 touches of the ball, completed 71 per cent of his passes and was dribbled past once.
Having failed to inspire Wales to what would have been a big victory, Ange Postecoglou will be hoping that Johnson doesn’t translate his international form back to Hotspur Way upon his return next week.
In other Tottenham news, John Wenham believes the club’s board have a point to prove to Postecoglou.