Brennan Johnson, 648 minutes for Crystal Palace and no goals – why is he struggling? – The Athletic
Life at Crystal Palace has started slowly for Brennan Johnson, but it might have looked so much different.
During a goalless Premier League draw with Aston Villa on January 7, Adam Wharton played a pass in behind the defence, Johnson raced onto it, drove forward and took a shot, only to see Emiliano Martinez push the ball over the crossbar.
The match was Johnson’s second appearance for Palace after joining on the opening day of the winter transfer window for a then club-record £35million from Tottenham Hotspur. That moment has proven to be his best chance of a goal for the south London side, with the Wales international forward contributing only two assists in his 12 games across all competitions.
On Thursday night, he returns to Tottenham — where he gained hero status by scoring the winner in the Europa League final last summer — with little to show so far to justify the hefty fee Palace paid.
Johnson got 18 goals in all for Spurs last season. Many of them came from getting on the end of balls into the box via clever runs in behind defences. So far, such finishing has not been demonstrated in a Palace shirt.
The 24-year-old is taking time to adapt to following the move across the UK capital. More than two months since Johnson’s signing and over a month after the winter window closed, the hope would be that Palace’s new signings had settled by now and were making a notable impact.
For Jorgen Strand Larsen, that is somewhat true, having played well in most of his six games, including scoring twice on his home debut in the 3-2 defeat by Burnley last month. Evann Guessand’s two late goals to seal wins against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Zrinjski Mostar, and his ability to carry the ball and run directly at defences, have also sparked excitement.
But Johnson’s Palace career has yet to click into gear.
He has had barely any influence in those 12 appearances, which have included seven starts, and has struggled to stand out beyond a handful of exciting moments following a promising debut in the 2-0 defeat by Newcastle United.
In mitigation, he arrived during a destabilising and demoralising period for Palace, which evolved into a two-month run without a league win. This was not an environment conducive to success or bedding in a newcomer whose confidence may not have been high anyway, given Johnson had been largely overlooked in the first half of the season by Spurs’ then head coach Thomas Frank.
Johnson scored the winning goal for Spurs in last season’s Europa League final (Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)
But he has firm backing from Palace manager Oliver Glasner.
“I hope he doesn’t want to prove (himself),” Glasner said in his pre-match press conference before the trip to Tottenham. “I spoke to him and I think it’s important for him to be Brennan Johnson, not to prove something. He doesn’t need to prove anything. He is such a great player. He has everything you need as an attacking player — incredible skills.
“I feel sometimes he puts himself under too much pressure and doesn’t play with the freedom he should have, that every attacker needs, and then he can show the incredible skills he has. That’s why I hope he doesn’t want to prove anything. He should enjoy playing football, enjoy that he’s such a great player — he has all the skills. Then he will be the best of himself, and have the best performance.
“I think he’s had a very good start (at Palace). He could have three or four assists in his first games. You always need a finisher (and) we’ve missed a few chances.”
Johnson has played only 648 minutes under Glasner, the equivalent of just over seven full matches, but his form so far has been underwhelming.
Glasner reverted in his press conference to his frequent justification that players need time to adjust, especially those who are out of a rhythm and, although he did not say it, perhaps lacking in confidence too.
There is merit in that, and Johnson is perhaps under less pressure now after Strand Larsen took over the mantle of being the club’s record signing on deadline day last month when moving from Wolves for an initial £43million and Palace have enjoyed a relative upturn in results with three wins in a five-game run that brought only one defeat.
“We have to be careful, and want to help them (the forwards) get in their best shape,” Glasner said. “They are all not in their best shape, but I see them progressing how I want them to.”
But these justifications also feel like something of an excuse. More would have been expected from Johnson, considering what he cost, even if he may yet come good in the longer term.
It is difficult to know whether Palace are truly playing to his strengths. He has primarily been involved in linking the play and has not often managed to make it into the penalty area. Balls in behind defences for him to run onto have been few and far between, the space beyond opposing back lines at a premium.
Crosses into the areas where he could score from a run to the back post, as is his staple, are also not a feature of Palace’s play. They have reverted to a more defensive style, with rapid transitions not so frequent, with Glasner instructing his wing-backs to take fewer risks and speaking about the importance of returning to their foundation of a strong defence.
It seemed in January that what Palace needed was someone akin to Ismaila Sarr, who missed much of that month away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. Johnson, at least in theory, can offer that, running in-behind with his pace. But he has not had the opportunity to do it often enough in games.
Whether this slow start is caused by his own failings or whether it is a more systematic problem is unclear. Perhaps it is both, alongside trying to rebuild confidence.
But there will be extra motivation upon his return to Tottenham, and the hope in the away end that perhaps a strong showing could propel his Palace career forward.
