Dream Team bosses backing the wrong horse in Brennan Johnson while James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski thrive

ONLY Chelsea have scored more Premier League goals than Tottenham this season.

In fact, the Blues and league-leaders Liverpool are the only teams that boast a better goal difference than Spurs’ +17 right now.

And yet Ange Postecoglou’s side are only tenth in table, level on points with Brentford and Newcastle in 11th and 12th respectively, such is their frustrating nature.

Spurs are arguably the most curious team in the land at present, capable of outplaying any opponent on their day but also liable to inexplicable slip-ups.

Their inconsistent nature causes headaches for Dream Team managers but the strength of their attack means there are plenty of points on offer most Gameweeks.

Certainly that was the case on Sunday when the North Londoners waltzed to a 5-0 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s.

Spurs could have inflicted more damage on Saints but opted to conserve energy in a goalless second half.

James Maddison (£4.5m) and Son Heung-min (£5.2m) were the biggest beneficiaries as they banked 19 points each – both were directly involved in three of the five goals.

The former has amassed 56 points in seven outings since the start of Gameweek 12 while the latter has gone one point better in the same time frame, despite not looking his best.

Dejan Kulusevski (£3.6m) also took advantage of Southampton’s porous defence to score in his third consecutive game.

The Sweden international now has five goals to go alongside his tally of eight assists in 2024/25 – he averages a goal involvement every 114.6 minutes in all competitions.

However, one Spurs player was particularly notable for his lack of returns at the weekend, Brennan Johnson (£3.8m).

The Wales international was named on the bench and mustered just one point after he replaced Son at half-time.

The former Nottingham Forest man has registered just ten points from his last four outings at a time when several of his team-mates have cashed in.

This disparity is noteworthy because Johnson is the most popular Spurs asset in Dream Team.

Not only that, an ownership of 27% makes him the sixth-most selected player in the whole game at the time of writing!

On current evidence, it appears gaffers are backing the wrong the horse.

On paper, there’s not much between Postecoglou’s main attacking threats.

Johnson, Maddison and Son have all registered 14 goal involvements apiece with Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke (£4.2m) on 13 each.

The former is the club’s top scorer this season with ten goals to his name in all competitions but it’s Maddison who leads the way in terms of points, the metric that matters most.

MOST DREAM TEAM POINTS AMONG TOTTENHAM PLAYERS THIS SEASON:

• 155pts – James Maddison
• 141pts – Brennan Johnson
• 136pts – Son Heung-min
• 132pts – Dominic Solanke
• 123pts – Dejan Kulusevski

Furthermore, Johnson owners may be concerned about his minutes lately.

Prior to his benching at St Mary’s, he was hooked after 53 minutes against Chelsea and played just an hour at Ibrox in the Europa League.

Previously, Maddison’s playing time nosedived but the 28-year-old has seemingly clawed his way back up the pecking order with some encouraging performances while Kulusevski is arguably Spurs’ Player of the Season at this stage.

Postecoglou’s troops are due to take on Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night so gaffers will be afforded another glimpse before having to decide upon their strategy for Gameweek 16.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk