Brennan Johnson says he is 'not going to lie' about the current difficult moment that Tottenham are going through.
Spurs sit 11th in the table as they battle through a period packed with games with a threadbare squad. Ange Postecoglou went into Sunday's match against Wolves with eight first team players out either injured or suspended and lost another to injury during the game in Destiny Udogie and then Rodrigo Bentancur to a one-match suspension for picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.
With double figures of missing players in some recent games, including his first choice centre-back and goalkeeper, the rest of the squad have been racking up the minutes with matches every three days and Tottenham looked jaded in the second half against Wolves, having got themselves in front with goals from Bentancur and Johnson, only to concede a late leveller from Jorgen Strand Larsen.
"Yeah, exactly [we're giving everything]. I'm not going to lie and say that we're all buzzing, but it's been tough and the minimum we can do is give our all, and I think that's what we are all doing, to be fair," said Johnson after the game in his club interview. "I don't think I can doubt anyone's belief and work rate to the cause. So, obviously we want to work hard, but yeah, it's just disappointing when results like that happen so late on."
He added: "It was a tough game, they'd come in off a really good result against Man United, but I think we showed enough to get through the game. I think we weren't at our best as we have been in this season, but we definitely created enough chances to win that game, so it's disappointing.
"It's a massive kick in the teeth. To get ourselves from behind, back in front the way we did and definitely had enough chances to maybe get another, but it's just in those games where we have to really grit our teeth and get a result and it's sickening when that goal goes in because it's like everyone's worked so hard and we haven't been at our best, but I think we've really worked hard to get a result and for them to score at the end just, yeah, it's a massive blow."
The 23-year-old is the club's top scorer this season and his 11th goal of the campaign was a clinical effort after some great interplay with first Bentancur and then Dejan Kulusevski.
"I think it was a nice move," he admitted. "Rodri picked up the ball and found me in a more inside position and then I found Deki in that kind of half space. He's so good in those positions, he stays really cool and once he lifted his head back up, I knew I was in a good position to have a really good chance and it's just about getting a good contact on it."
With a rare fixture-free midweek, Postecoglou has given his players two days off to recharge both mentally and physically before they must report back to Hotspur Way on Wednesday to prepare for Saturday's game against Newcastle. Later on Sunday evening, Johnson began his rest period by joining Tottenham team-mate James Maddison just three-and-a-half miles down the road from the stadium at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
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