Tottenham suffer derby defeat once again
With Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Ricardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino all missing, the North London derby handed Tottenham Hotspur the best chance that they’re likely to get this season to gain an edge over Arsenal. Yet, in a repeat of the last campaign, the Lilywhites found themselves on the losing side once more.
This time, in a more narrow defeat, it was Gabriel Magalhaes who found himself wheeling away in celebration midway through the second half after overpowering Cristian Romero and heading home in style.
The defeat means that Spurs have lost back-to-back games in the Premier League to continue their disappointing form after the international break. The task now falls the way of Ange Postecoglou to find a way to get the best out of his side.
The Austrailian’s first task on that front may well be to replace Brennan Johnson in his side. Or, at least, that’s what O’Hara may believe. The talkSPORT pundit slammed the winger in a post on X, saying: “Brennan Johnson is even more frustrating to watch in the flesh than he is on TV.”
The former Spurs midfielder’s frustration can be justified by Johnson’s poor performance, in which he lost five out of his six duels – just 83% – and had only 25 touches before being withdrawn. Now, as Wilson Odobert continues to step up on his arrival, Johnson may well find his place under threat.
Johnson may lose Tottenham place
After arriving for a reported £48m last summer, Johnson showed plenty of promise in his debut campaign but is beginning to frustrate those around North London. But at just 23 years old, the likes of O’Hara must have patience in their winger, who managed five goals and 10 assists in the Premier League last time out.
The arrival of Odobert could concern Johnson, however, after he found himself replaced having struggled in the second half against Arsenal. Receiving plenty of the ball, the former Forest star could have been the driving force to an impressive victory for Postecoglou’s side. Instead, he quickly became the point of frustration.
For Spurs as a collective, they must now look ahead to the Carabao Cup and Coventry City, before Ferencvaros in the Europa League and a chance to get back to winning ways in the Premier League against a tough Brighton & Hove Albion side.
Fail to beat Brighton and the concern will only grow for Postecoglou. One thing for sure, another defeat in the North London derby certainly won’t have helped the former Celtic man who is enduring a tough start to his second season in charge.
