Thomas Frank’s treatment of Brennan Johnson vindicated after what he did away from Tottenham
Tottenham fans have been continuously baffled by how Thomas Frank has utilised Brennan Johnson since his arrival this summer.
Johnson was benched for the Super Cup defeat to PSG during pre-season, despite scoring the winning goal against Man United in the Europa League final the previous season.
Since then, the 24-year-old winger has only continued to fall further and further down the pecking order, usually making his starts in the cup competitions, and playing only 57 minutes of Premier League football since the last international break.
He replaced Mohammed Kudus in the 90th minute as Tottenham beat Leeds United 2-1 before the international break, but the manager’s decisions may have just become a little bit clearer.
Brennan Johnson goes invisible in Wales’ disappointing defeat
Craig Bellamy started the flying winger during Wales’ 3-0 defeat to England on Thursday, 9 October, a game which hardly instilled confidence in the national team ahead of a crucial qualifier four days later.
The Red Dragons hardly got a touch of the ball in the first half, going three goals behind after just 20 minutes, and despite an improved second 45 minutes, they hardly made a dent at Wembley Stadium.
Johnson was eventually replaced by Birmingham City‘s Lewis Koumas, and it was an extremely disappointing night from the winger, who showed no fight or commitment on the pitch.
| Brennan Johnson vs England | Stats [FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 76 |
| Passes completed | 6/7 (86%) |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Successful dribbles | 0% (0/1) |
| Offsides | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 0% (0/3) |
He had just 12 touches of the ball, averaging a touch every six minutes, struggling against club teammate Djed Spence, despite him playing on the opposite side of defence to his natural position.
What has Thomas Frank said about his Tottenham winger?
The most frustrating part of it all is that Frank’s public comments do not align with his treatment of the player. Since the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth in August, Johnson has not started a league game.
Speaking about the winger last month [SpursWeb], the manager said: “He played on the left in two games and scored two goals, so that is a decent output. He is a very important player for us.
“He came on and helped the team in the last couple of games, so very happy with him,” but these comments only raise more questions than they answer as the Welshman continues to sit on the bench.
Of course, his international display will do nothing to argue his case for more game time back in North London, and fans may be beginning to see why the current situation has arisen.