He made fewer passes than Vicario: Ange must instantly axe “frustrating” 4/10 Spurs dud

The weight of expectation at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turned to frustration as Ange Postecoglou’s side labored to a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first leg.

What should have been a statement European performance instead became a tale of missed opportunities and individual struggles, leaving Spurs with all to do in Germany next week.

While the scoreline suggests parity, the underlying numbers reveal Tottenham’s dominance – and their profligacy:

Micky van de Ven emerged as Tottenham’s standout performer, his electrifying recovery pace bailing out teammates on multiple occasions. The Dutch defender’s 8/10 performance (as rated by The Standard) included three crucial interventions that prevented clear Frankfurt scoring opportunities.

Alongside him, James Maddison shook off a nervy start to deliver the inch-perfect cross for Pedro Porro’s equalizer, finishing with a team-high three key passes.

Yet for all their territorial dominance, Tottenham’s attacking play too often fizzled out at the feet of Brennan Johnson. The Welsh winger’s anonymous display stood in stark contrast to his weekend brace against Southampton, with his performance metrics making for grim reading:

Brennan Johnson vs Frankfurt

Johnson’s evening encapsulated Tottenham’s wider struggles in the final third. His 72% pass accuracy (lower than goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario) and wayless 95th-minute shot over the bar symbolized a player lacking the composure required at this level.

As Jamie O’Hara noted in commentary, “When the big moments come, he’s just not delivering consistently enough for a club with Tottenham’s aspirations.”

Postecoglou now faces difficult selection decisions ahead of the second leg. With Son Heung-min also below par and Dominic Solanke isolated for large periods, Tottenham’s attack lacked the cutting edge their 57% possession deserved.

The Australian manager must decide whether to persist with Johnson’s raw pace in Germany or turn to alternative options like Timo Werner or Dejan Kulusevski, should the latter recover from injury.

This result leaves Tottenham’s European ambitions delicately poised. While they avoided a damaging home defeat, their failure to capitalize on dominance means next week’s return leg becomes a high-stakes examination of Postecoglou’s tactical flexibility and his players’ mental resilience.

For Johnson specifically, it represents another missed opportunity to cement himself as more than just an inconsistent talent in Tottenham’s new era.