Brennan Johnson says Tottenham have been working harder on their physical and mental attributes in a bid to solve the great riddle of their inconsistency.
The 23-year old forward has ten goals to his name this season and was on target in their notable demolitions of Manchester City, United and Aston Villa. However, Johnson was also part of the side that suffered defeats to Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town, games they had been expected to win.
The all too familiar contrast in results has infuriated fans and once again prompted criticism that the squad is 'naive and lacking maturity'. Coach Ange Postecoglou has even referred to their 4-0 rout of Manchester City as a 'millstone' as it is now used as a reference point for the level they are capable of.
'When we play the way we did against Manchester City and also away at Man United it shows us what we really can do and how we can play but then losing games like Palace and Ipswich just makes it even more frustrating,' admits Johnson.
'Listen, none of us want to lose or drop off our performance so it's something we have to look back at, really analyse and think about how we played in certain moments - maybe when the other team scored or trying to come back from defeat because obviously Ipswich we went down two goals, so we gave ourselves a mountain to climb.
'It's a number of things. Physically, how hard we work, how hard we run, in those games we definitely did drop and we've looked at that. Mentality as well. In those games when the other team are on top we have to respect it and defend a little bit better then when we get the chance to attack we need to be relentless and ruthless. So it's a mix of all those things.'
Johnson, who scored again in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Fulham, hopes they can kickstart their campaign with a win at Bournemouth on Wednesday.
A key component will be his link up with Spurs’ captain Son Heung-Min, who has a particularly strong record against the Cherries, and importantly has proved a positive influence on Johnson.
'It's been amazing to work alongside of him, says Johnson, who admits to studying the South Korean before joining Spurs from Nottingham Forest last year.
‘He’s an unbelievable player. There are so many things in his game I admire and have admired for a long time now. He can play off both feet, his work rate, his leadership, his professionalism. There are so many things and most importantly he’s such a nice guy as well. It’s an honour to play alongside him.’
Talking to Men in Blazers, Johnson reveals he still gets the occasional ‘Good luck’ text from former England captain David Beckham, who is friends with his father David Johnson from their time together at Manchester United’s academy.
‘My dad and David got on well during their time at United’s academy and he’s just kept an eye on my career. The relationship isn’t as strong as people think! It’s not like we are constantly texting but yes he has messaged me a couple of times. It’s a nice feeling that he kept an eye out and when I came here he was very supportive but that’s about as far as the relationship goes.’
Johnson, who chills out listening to Bob Marley and lists Redemption Song as one of his favourites, was an avid skateboarder as a youngster and will be hoping there aren't too many more twists and turns to Tottenham's season as they search for that elusive consistency. 'You can't think about things too much. Things happen in football so quick that the most important thing is the next action.'