FanSided World Football
·2 dicembre 2024
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsFanSided World Football
·2 dicembre 2024
Tottenham faced off against Fulham on Matchday 13 of the premier league season, a game that ended in a frustrating draw for Spurs. Here are my rapid reactions to the game!
Brennan Johnson celebrates after scoring to give Tottenham the lead / Sportsphoto/Allstar/GettyImages
Brennan Johnson's goal scoring form continues. Brennan Johnson reentered the starting lineup back in September after being benched briefly. Since that point, Johnson has been on a goal scoring tear, absolutely shredding opposing defenses and scoring 10 goals across all competitions this season. He picked up the goal to give him double digit scores on the year today with a lovely finish off a beautiful assist from Timo Werner. Brennan Johnson's run of form has been absolutely incredible, and has been a massive boon to the offensive end for Spurs.
Timo Werner attempts to make his way past a Fulham Defender / HENRY NICHOLLS/GettyImages
Speaking of Timo Werner, I believe I owe him an apology. In late October I was fully prepared to move on from the Werner experience. It felt as though Ange Postecoglou's insistence on playing the German forward was beginning to be more of a hinderance to Spurs than It was worth.
With that being said, in Werner's last appearance as a starter, a game against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, he finally broke the goal scoring drought that he had been in, and that seems to have ignited some improved form from the player.
Today he lifted a perfect ball over the heads of the entire Fulham defense, dropping It right in front of Brennan Johnson with only the keeper to beat, which he did. Werner's improved form is a highly unexpected surprise and one that Spurs fans will hope can continue.
A Frustrated Son Heung-Min following the final whistle / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
Tottenham's captain struggled mightily in todays game. He had several opportunities in the first half in the opposing penalty area, but failed to convert any of them. The most shocking of these failed opportunities came when Son intercepted a pass between two Fulham defenders right in front of goal, but failed to get a proper touch and was unable to get a shot on goal.
The Tottenham skipper has had mixed form this season, though Spurs fans will be surprised if this lasts, as the South Korean forward has always been able to turn It around in the past.
Ange Postecoglou with his team following the final whistle / HENRY NICHOLLS/GettyImages
The overall problem with today's game is one that seems to be a consistent defect in all of Tottenhams disappointing results from this season. In games like this, Tottenham does everything they need to do. They consistently get the ball into the opposing penalty area, they give themselves lots of possession and plenty of good chances to score, and yet they struggle to find the back of the net.
Those struggles seem to compound and lead to frustration for the players, who press and try even harder to begin to score. This leads to the offense for Spurs becoming less patient and more desperate, a change that opens up lanes for other teams to break through the high defensive line that is the focal point of Ange Postecoglou's system.
For this system to lead Spurs to where they want to go, they'll need to find a way to score more consistently, or maintain the patience needed to deal with the frustration of not being able to score at will in every game they play.