Player Watch Player Watch: Brennan Johnson

[NEVILLEB]

Well there would be an argument that Johnson doesn’t track back enough etc. But I do know where you are coming from.

It’s always been the way on SC that there are the favourites who can do no wrong whereas there are other players whose performances are regularly picked apart.

Vicario, Udogie, van de Ven and Bentancur have all made individual errors in recent matches leading to goals but are generally given the benefit of the doubt.

First impressions are important

 

[Styopa]

First impressions are important

I agree. And a of people were underwhelmed when we signed Johnson, firstly because of the fee, secondly because there was a feeling in some quarters that Levy would use the Kane fee to fund an exciting replacement. So Johnson started off in negative equity, so to speak.

I think it takes a lot to shift that kind of initial impression. Because fans are less likely to give the player the benefit of the doubt and more likely to hone in on perceived limitations.

There’s plenty of evidence that suggests once we form a belief we search for evidence to confirm that belief. We start with the conclusion and find arguments to support it. And we don’t like changing our beliefs because it makes us appear inconsistent.

I’m not saying a player can’t change peoples minds but it takes a lot and it usually comes with an asterisk attached.

 

[HodisGawd]

I agree. And a of people were underwhelmed when we signed Johnson, firstly because of the fee, secondly because there was a feeling in some quarters that Levy would use the Kane fee to fund an exciting replacement. So Johnson started off in negative equity, so to speak.

I think it takes a lot to shift that kind of initial impression. Because fans are less likely to give the player the benefit of the doubt and more likely to hone in on perceived limitations.

There’s plenty of evidence that suggests once we form a belief we search for evidence to confirm that belief. We start with the conclusion and find arguments to support it. And we don’t like changing our beliefs because it makes us appear inconsistent.

I’m not saying a player can’t change peoples minds but it takes a lot and it usually comes with an asterisk attached.

A lot of sense in this. Like many, I have my reservations about Johnson, but they're not huge and I do think he's a useful player right now. He's also the latest in a long line of players who've suffered from what you describe, perhaps the best example being Sissoko who started badly but became a good player at least 6 months before he was given any credit for it. Most managers don't seem to get affected by this bias (Ange on Johnson being a case in point) which is to their credit. They have to be more objective when evaluating a player's use to their team, which is perhaps why they're managers and not fans like us.

 

[muppetman]

I agree. And a of people were underwhelmed when we signed Johnson, firstly because of the fee, secondly because there was a feeling in some quarters that Levy would use the Kane fee to fund an exciting replacement. So Johnson started off in negative equity, so to speak.

I think it takes a lot to shift that kind of initial impression. Because fans are less likely to give the player the benefit of the doubt and more likely to hone in on perceived limitations.

There’s plenty of evidence that suggests once we form a belief we search for evidence to confirm that belief. We start with the conclusion and find arguments to support it. And we don’t like changing our beliefs because it makes us appear inconsistent.

I’m not saying a player can’t change peoples minds but it takes a lot and it usually comes with an asterisk attached.

I think that a lot of fans respond really well to players who are brave, who fight and battle, whereas Brennan appears as if a stern look might upset him.

His stats are good, but the eye test is a little different, with him slowly jogging back but rarely getting back into a place to stop a pass, let along tackle. Not sure where the passion has gone that saw him kick Richi up in the air, but it'd help a lot of he could get a bit of that back.

I like him, I hope he will come good, but I definitely see why some fans aren't entirely sold on him yet.

 

[synththfc]

I think a lot of people are overreacting to the criticism of Brennan. He hasn’t been perfect. In fact, he’s been pretty poor on a number of occasions. There are reasons and mitigating circumstances for this, but the fact remains and people are within their rights to criticize an underperforming player within logical reason.

For example, it’s easy to notice that he really does not track back and help out Porro(especially when compared to Kulusevski). Are there potential reasons for this, like he may not be fully fit, he may be carrying a knock, etc.? Yes, but people are allowed to criticize him for not helping out on the defensive side. This doesn’t mean he’s a scapegoat.

Brennan does some things very well. His pace is a weapon, he seems to know where to be in the box, and his end product is above average. He also is very limited outside of those three things. He doesn’t take a man on, he can’t seem to get the ball out of his feet quick enough, he doesn’t track back enough (or at all), and he seems very timid on the ball. Both of these statements are true.

People are allowed to praise him for what he does well and criticize him when he plays poorly. It doesn’t mean it is personal, or even that he won’t improve. He just played poorly and currently has limitations. That’s it.

 

[Kirito]

Lovely team play with Brennan being in the right position at the right time, thats what a quality striker does. Looking forward to seeing the rest of his game improve but he’s doing great so far.

 

[McFlash]

I have no issues with Johnson with regards the attributes he brings in the attacking third, sure, lots of things to improve, but he will, and he is already clocking up good numbers of contributions,

However, I have a huge issue with his attitude regarding tracking back and supporting defensively. I was screaming at the screen yesterday when he lost the ball in the 75th minute and literally strolled back while Gross and Mitoma doubled up on Porro.

Johnson easily has the pace to have caught up with Gross, which would have allowed Porro to prevent Mitoma from putting an easy cross in which Fati really should have scored from.

That sort of nonchalance really doesn't look good, and is a stark contrast to the likes of Richarlison or Werner who often bust a gut to track back when they lose the ball. It's not like Johnson had already played the full match.

Even when Porro was obviously struggling with a knock, Johnson just wasn't giving him the support he obviously needed.

Yup, agree with that.
Him jogging back was not a good look and that'll be what led to some of the over the top comments in the match thread.
He's good going forward but certainly needs to improve on the defensive part of his game. Even Son will chase back at full pelt and we all know he's shit defensively but he's an extra body there, getting in the way and helping out.
Spence rightly got criticised for his jogging back in a half-arsed manner and while he's a right back so deserves it more, Brennan shouldn't be above getting flak for doing the same.

 

[Styopa]

I think a lot of people are overreacting to the criticism of Brennan. He hasn’t been perfect. In fact, he’s been pretty poor on a number of occasions. There are reasons and mitigating circumstances for this, but the fact remains and people are within their rights to criticize an underperforming player within logical reason.

For example, it’s easy to notice that he really does not track back and help out Porro(especially when compared to Kulusevski). Are there potential reasons for this, like he may not be fully fit, he may be carrying a knock, etc.? Yes, but people are allowed to criticize him for not helping out on the defensive side. This doesn’t mean he’s a scapegoat.

Brennan does some things very well. His pace is a weapon, he seems to know where to be in the box, and his end product is above average. He also is very limited outside of those three things. He doesn’t take a man on, he can’t seem to get the ball out of his feet quick enough, he doesn’t track back enough (or at all), and he seems very timid on the ball. Both of these statements are true.

People are allowed to praise him for what he does well and criticize him when he plays poorly. It doesn’t mean it is personal, or even that he won’t improve. He just played poorly and currently has limitations. That’s it.

I agree with most of your post but as I wrote earlier I don’t think people are overreacting to the criticism so much a pointing out that the scrutiny of his performances is disproportionate to others players in the team. That’s borne out by the number of pages in this thread. He has double the number of pages compared to other players signed at the same time or a year or more earlier.

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

The irony of course is that he is part of a front six that has scored in every premiership game we've played, and the problem lies in the leaking of goals by a back 5 that is loved by everyone. Now I know it's fluid, and ha has defensive duties etc, but shouldn't we focus on the real problem?

You can’t just look at it like that. The team is a collective unit. The attack can directly affect the defence and vice versa.

Our defence plays very high up the pitch and are outstanding at progressing the ball through the lines in to attack allowing us to beat a press and expose the opposition. Therefore the defence directly affects the quality of our attack and helps us regularly expose the opposition.

In the same way, our attack struggles to sustain pressure in the final third because we lack balance and have too many attackers who are limited on the ball and are only effective in-behind. This means teams get a lot of chances to counter attack us and expose our high line defence. If we kept the ball better in the final third and had more threat on the ball, we’d sustain pressure in the final third longer and it would help us control games more, thereby making our defence stronger. The limited nature of the attack also means we struggle to play out sometimes when the opposition press is particularly good (Brighton game, Everton late on and first half etc).

A good example of this is the Brighton game. Both Werner and Johnson were very guilty of standing still on the halfway line or running away from the ball when one of our FBs or CBs needed a pass out to the flanks as an outball. A simple movement from the wingers towards the ball and the ability to retain possession would have seen us play out of a press and relieve pressure. Instead they ran away or stood still, which meant they either lost the ball cheaply or gave us no way out, meaning we turned it over and exposed our defence more. It was the same in the Everton game.

So the strengths and weaknesses of each department of our team can directly affect others and for me this has happened a lot with our attack.

Our defence still needs to improve, cutting out individual errors etc but for me the individual players within that are performing at a higher level in general.

 

[spurs9]

The last time I remember a 22-year-old attacking player joining us from a lower ranked Premier League club, he ran his arse off every game, worked like a maniac and ended the season as our top scorer, yet still worked flat out to improve aspects of his game over the next few years. Robbie Keane, anyone?

We got Keane from Leeds, who has finished in the top 5 for the 5 seasons prior, whilst we finished between 14th and 9th in those 5 seasons. It was considered a step down and he did it because he was struggling to get in Leeds team, as they preferred Viduka and Fowler.

 

[tevezito]

Lots of people are still saying we need to start looking to future proof by buying a Son replacement, but I'm still convinced this is why we spent so much on Brennan. A Homegrown Son-like player is great for the squad down the line, and I still see no reason why this can't be how Brennan develops in the next couple of years, just as Sonny starts to decline.

 

[SpursSince1980]

Yup, agree with that.
Him jogging back was not a good look and that'll be what led to some of the over the top comments in the match thread.
He's good going forward but certainly needs to improve on the defensive part of his game. Even Son will chase back at full pelt and we all know he's shit defensively but he's an extra body there, getting in the way and helping out.
Spence rightly got criticised for his jogging back in a half-arsed manner and while he's a right back so deserves it more, Brennan shouldn't be above getting flak for doing the same.

And even Sonny needed time to drill the defensive responsibilities into his style of play.

I believe Brennan will get there, but it might take another season or two until we see just how good he can be.

At the moment, he is playing within himself and is too timid. That can change over time.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

And even Sonny needed time to drill the defensive responsibilities into his style of play.

I believe Brennan will get there, but it might take another season or two until we see just how good he can be.

At the moment, he is playing within himself and is too timid. That can change over time.

So I agree he should be given time, but how hard is it to know you have to track back? It’s bizarre really

 

[fingersinc]

So I agree he should be given time, but how hard is it to know you have to track back? It’s bizarre really

About as bizarre as one of our players trying to take a free kick for off side the wrong side of the half way line on Saturday.

 

[Gilzeanking]

Lots of people are still saying we need to start looking to future proof by buying a Son replacement, but I'm still convinced this is why we spent so much on Brennan. A Homegrown Son-like player is great for the squad down the line, and I still see no reason why this can't be how Brennan develops in the next couple of years, just as Sonny starts to decline.

I know there is fierce Johnson support here, but this regular comparison with the greatness that is Sonny is beyond support into wild fantasy imo.

 

[Styopa]

I know there is fierce Johnson support here, but this regular comparison with the greatness that is Sonny is beyond support into wild fantasy imo.

@tevezito said “Son-like” which I would take to mean a player who has great movement, pace, positional sense and clinical finishing. I think Johnson certainly has most of the natural attributes to become a high level player in that mode.

But whether he could ever become as good as Son is a whole different question. Son, like Kane, like Modric, like Bale is one of all the time greats to ever play here and in the Premier League. A player like Son is beyond comparison really.

 

[dontcallme]

People need to learn the difference between comparing someone's attributes to another player and comparing their ability.

 

[Styopa]

People need to learn the difference between comparing someone's attributes to another player and comparing their ability.

Especially since people use the great players as comparison points because those are the players who make the most impact and people tend to remember. They are a useful point of reference, that’s all.

 

[mil1lion]

About as bizarre as one of our players trying to take a free kick for off side the wrong side of the half way line on Saturday.

Romero, and even when he took again it was on the halfway line

 

[bradfordspur]

Have not seen this mentioned anywhere else, but the chance leading to the winning goal against Brighton was almost identical to the chance he put in the stands in the Everton game when we were 2 -0 up. I wonder what he was thinking as that ball came across!