TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara has shared his verdict on one Tottenham player who he believes is “miles” off the pace, following their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday.
Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal as Postecoglou concedes to weakened Gunners
Given the amount of star absences in Mikel Arteta’s line-up over the weekend – with club captain Martin Odegaard, summer signing Riccardo Calafiori, Spain star Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko all missing – Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou had a real opportunity to seriously upset the club’s fierce rivals.
The Lilywhites did dominate possession and created a host of chances throughout the 90 minutes, but Tottenham’s lack of cutting edge and set-piece weakness eventually cost them dearly.
Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes scored the only goal of the game, leaping above all of his opponents to guide a close-range header past the helpless Guglielmo Vicario, who had real trouble defending his six-yard box from the corner.
This was enough for Arteta’s side, who held on to their narrow lead past the hour mark to come away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with all three points, in what was a regrettable afternoon for Postecoglou and co.
Dejan Kulusevski was criticised against Arsenal for his attacking display, with the Sweden international unable to unlock Arteta’s back line on enough occasions. Meanwhile, a lot of debate has also centered around Vicario’s lack of confidence when it comes to dead balls.
Kulusevski’s game in numbers | |
|---|---|
Minutes | 95′ |
Expected Goals | 0.16 |
Goals | 0 |
Expected Assists | 0.11 |
Assists | 0 |
Touches | 49 |
Passing Accuracy | 17/25 (68% |
Crosses (Accurate) | 5 (0) |
Shots on Target | 1 |
Dribbles (Successful) | 3 (1) |
Duels (Won) | 17 (5) |
Possession Lost | 20 |
Dribbled Past | 3 |
Tottenham must now lick their wounds, reassess and come back stronger in their next Premier League game against Brentford on Saturday, but before that, Postecoglou’s squad travel to face Coventry City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Jamie O’Hara slams “miles off it” Brennan Johnson after Arsenal loss
O’Hara hasn’t held back with his criticism of Spurs after the home defeat, and one player in particular – winger Brennan Johnson.
Taking to X on Sunday, O’Hara called Johnson a “frustrating” Tottenham player to watch, and he’s since shared a further verdict on the Wales international who cost Daniel Levy around £50 million to sign from Nottingham Forest last year.
Indeed, speaking to talkSPORT, O’Hara has also claimed that Johnson is “miles off” the pace at Tottenham, with the 23-year-old proving ineffective on many occasions against Arsenal and beforehand.
“We played well but we don’t score – take your chances. We’ve brought in good players and you expect them to do the business,” said O’Hara. “But I look at it and think have we brought in top players? Solanke, one good season at Bournemouth and we signed him for £60million.
“Brennan Johnson, a good player and a young player at Nottingham Forest. We signed him for £50million and he looks miles off it. Then I look at Archie Gray who we signed from Leeds, he’s a Championship player and then we signed Odobert from Burnley.
“Daniel Levy has built this big shiny stadium and it’s only enjoyable to go to when Beyonce’s on! We’re not signing a top player from Barcelona or Atletico Madrid or someone who is actually at the level of where we want to be.”
