Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 2-2 draw by AS Roma in the Europa League.
Ange Postecoglou’s side went into the game in great spirits following their 4-0 hammering of Manchester City in their previous fixture.
The fact that they were facing Roma at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium gave Spurs a further edge, but they just couldn’t get over the line.
Brennan Johnson scored for Tottenham against the Serie A side, but he also faced the wrath of Postecoglou for a mistake he made in the first half of the game.
Brennan Johnson reveals what Ange Postecoglou told him after going mad on the touchline
Postecoglou was absolutely furious with Johnson in the first half of the game between Tottenham and AS Roma on Thursday night.
The Australian is usually a calm man on the touchline, but we have seen him lose his composure on a few occasions over the last year.
Postecoglou wants his team to play in a certain way at all times, irrespective of the scoreline and the context of the game.
Spurs were leading 2-1 against Roma and instead of going forward, Johnson played a pass backwards. That infuriated Postecoglou, who went mad at him on the touchline.
After the game, the Wales international was asked about the incident.
He told TNT Sports: “Yeah, I think it’s important. Obviously, he’s such a good manager, and I think his view can be a lot better than mine sometimes.
“I think in the game it’s easy to get into your own head a little bit. At half-time, he told me a little bit of information that was definitely helpful and nothing more than that really.”
When asked what Postecoglou told him at the break, Johnson replied: “He just said keep being more positive. That’s all he needs from all of our players, trying to be positive, on the front foot and play forward.
“I think in the first half, I was definitely probably guilty of playing back too much. So, yeah, it’s something that I definitely took onboard.”
Brennan Johnson has shown huge improvement in one key area
Tottenham signed Johnson for big money in the summer of 2023.
The Welshman had his struggles in his debut campaign. He scored just five goals in all competitions despite making 38 appearances.
Johnson’s numbers have gone up significantly. He has scored nine times already this season in just 19 appearances, which is a great return for a wide player.
The big difference from last season is that Johnson is getting himself into better positions inside the box. He is easier to find in the danger area and that has put him on the end of more chances.
That is down to the work Postecoglou and the Spurs coaches have done on the training pitch – the Tottenham boss deserves a lot of praise for Johnson’s development over the last year.