Barely a minute has passed since Tottenham Hotspur’s win against Brentford and now Ange Postecoglou must prepare his team for a tough test against Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow afternoon.
Since Aston Villa lost at home to Newcastle United the day before, Spurs have regained their place in the top four, but now they must focus on a string of wins to consolidate their position.
Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner joined the team in a successful January transfer window, while James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur have recovered from injuries to inject confidence and quality into the squad.
They are absent for tomorrow’s game, but Postecoglou will be mostly happy with his chances ahead of a tough test in the Premier League.
Spurs team news:
Postecoglou has hinted that Maddison will be fit to start against Everton, as he was prematurely bowed out after an influential performance on Wednesday night.
On Friday night, South Korea qualified for the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup with Heung-min Son – the 31-year-old was on the scoresheet – so he won’t feature against Everton, nor in the near future.
Pape Matar Sarr is available again after Senegal beat Ivory Coast on penalty kicks at the Africa Cup of Nations, but Yves Bissouma is still in contention for the tournament, while Giovani Lo Celso, Ryan Sessegnon and Manor Solomon remain on the sidelines.
Pape Sarr must start against Everton:
Although Sarr only played 120 minutes in the Ivory Coast on Tuesday, it seems the 21-year-old will be ready and raring to make an impact against Everton.
His dynamism and energy will be key in establishing control in the midfield, as he has scored two goals and two assists in 18 Premier League games this season, completing 90% of his passes and, according to Sofascore, winning an average of 5.1 balls per game.
Described by Fabrizio Romano in 2022 as a prospect with “real potential”, Sarr actually signed for Tottenham from Metz in 2021 for a £15 million package and returned to the French club for the 2021/22 season, but then started just two league games for the Spurs last season and still impressed.
According to FBref, he ranks in the top 9% of midfielders in the top 5 European leagues in assists, in the top 17% in assists, in the top 18% in progressive passes and in the top 10% in shots per 90 minutes last year, which shows his technical ability and his willingness to penetrate forward and influence attacking moments.
With Bentancur partnering him in midfield, Spurs will provide the fluidity needed to put Everton underfoot and Sarr will be crucial to Postecoglou’s chances of success.
Further down the pitch, Richarlison, who has scored seven goals in his last seven Premier League appearances, will surely retain his place up front, while Maddison has effectively confirmed he is healthy and Dejan Kuleshevski is an ever-present.
That leaves the left side of attack, where Timo Werner has had some success in Tottenham’s opening two Premier League games, recording an assist in both appearances.
Despite this, the German international has not played much football this season and it might be wise to implement a rotation that would lead to what promises to be an aggressive encounter at Goodison. So Brennan Johnson should return to the starting line-up after scoring a goal in his last appearance.
Brennan Johnson could be a nightmare at Goodison Park:
Tottenham signed Johnson from Nottingham Forest in August and the Welsh international arrived for £47.5m after playing a talismanic role in the Tricky Trees’ successful return to League One last term, scoring ten goals and three assists.
He has been solid, if not spectacular, for the Lilywhites so far, boasting two goals and four assists in 12 Premier League appearances, but will be pushing for a role from the start this afternoon after restoring the lead moments after half-time when he was introduced.
Content creator HLTCO certainly believes in the Wales international’s skill set and highlights the qualities that convinced Postecoglou et al to invest a significant sum in his services in the first place.
He says: “In this case, it was necessary to ensure that Postcombula would be involved in the project in the future: ‘Brennan Johnson is such an interesting player to watch. He has a frightening speed and directness; he is always trying to achieve something, so defending against him must be a nightmare.”
With Son currently playing in the Asian Cup, Spurs need to strengthen in attack, which they certainly did against Brentford, but now it’s up to them to put in a strong performance against Dyche’s men.
Werner has proven himself as a creator, but Johnson can match the former Chelsea striker in attack, who averaged 1.2 key passes per game in the Premier League.
Funnily enough, it was Werner’s pass that gave Johnson the chance to put his team in front earlier in the week, but that only illustrates the vibrancy of Tottenham’s options, even with such an influential figure in Son out of the game.
The Welshman, who is paid £70k a week, also boasts a stunning record against the Toffees since the start of last season and should get a full chance to continue Midas’ touch against the opposition.
Indeed, Johnson scored three goals and an assist in three games against Everton and produced no fewer than five key passes during Postecoglou’s 2-1 win in N17 just before Christmas.
He has clearly got the Merseyside team’s number and will be a key link in helping Tottenham to more Premier League victories and cementing their place in the fight for the Champions League.
When Maddison is fit and firing as well, the fluidity and sparkle that will flow through the visitors at Goodison will be evident for all to see, and Johnson must start to avoid a slip-up.