Those of a Tottenham Hotspur persuasion will be more than a little discontented with the events of recent weeks after such an emphatic start to life under Ange Postecoglou's management, but such is the way of football.

Spurs had had little to cheer about over the past year, with an exciting start to the 2022/23 campaign quickly spiralling into a disastrous year, with second-half-of-the-season form resulting in Antonio Conte's dismissal, an eighth-placed finish, no European football and – perhaps most poignantly – Harry Kane's sale to Bayern Munich in the early days of Postecoglou's reign.

But Postecoglou knows how to cultivate a winning mentality and he implemented his system and style swiftly, with the early results sending Tottenham into first place after ten matches before injuries and suspensions ravaged the purple patch and beset the squad with a three-match skid.

Were Spurs not to succumb to the onslaught of woes against Chelsea, it's entirely possible that a position at the forefront might have been maintained, but while the setbacks have been detrimental to Postecoglou's recent progress, Brennan Johnson has emerged as something of a shining light.

Brennan Johnson's season in numbers

Spurs signed Johnson from Nottingham Forest for £47.5m on transfer deadline day in August after the 22-year-old enjoyed a starring role under Steve Cooper's guidance over the past few years, leading his former side into the Premier League and then avoiding relegation.

Across 44 appearances last year, the Welshman clinched ten goals and three assists and led journalist Josh Bunting to note how he "causes so many problems" for opposition.

The £70k-per-week star arrived in London and enjoyed a lively game during his first start against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, but sustained a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the following two league fixtures.

Having now posted a goal and an assist across his past four outings, Johnson is becoming increasingly important under Postecoglou's stewardship and could now prove to be the centrepiece that leads his club back into form.

Brennan Johnson's style of play

While Johnson still needs to work on sustaining his threat across the entirety of encounters, he is excellent with his ball-carrying ability and offers a directness that could work in perfect tandem with the creative ingenuity of James Maddison, when the influential England international returns from injury after the new year.

Player

Club

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Nottingham Forest

Said Benrahma

West Ham

Bobby Reid

Fulham

Anthony Gordon

Newcastle United

Michael Olise

Crystal Palace

*Sourced via Football Transfers

Spurs might have fallen to defeat against Aston Villa last time out but there were plenty of positive moments, with football.london's Alasdair Gold penning his post-match thoughts and saying of Johnson's performance: 'Involved in some bright moments with good movement but just couldn't force the ball home, including controlling and firing an effort that Martinez saved from point blank range.'

Remarking on his performance against Aston Villa, content creator HLTCO took to Twitter to say: 'Brennan Johnson is such an exciting player to watch. He’s got frightening pace and directness; constantly looking to make something happen, it must be an absolute nightmare to defend against him.'

As per FBref, Johnson ranks among the top 5% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 8% for tackles per 90, emphasising his tenacity and energy.

The 25-cap international has so much potential and could develop into a starring figure under Postecoglou in the coming years, and as he continues to grow over the duration of the campaign, his rise might come at the expense of a desired resurgence for Richarlison, who has yet to bloom into brilliant form down the N17.

Richarlison's Tottenham career so far

Prior to his £60m transfer to Tottenham, Richarlison had been among the most menacing forwards in the Premier League and had posted 53 goals and 14 assists across 152 appearances for Everton, even leading erstwhile Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti to tip him for the Ballon d'Or.

Speaking on the situation, Richarlison said: "Ancelotti himself has already said that I'm among the 10 best strikers he has coached and that's an honour for me. It motivated me a lot, I want to improve even more. He already told me that I'll win the Golden Ball (Ballon d'Or), that I'll win several championships. I'll trust the man's word.

"Now I just need to improve, working hard in training, so I can continue to evolve."

Well, the move to London promised to be the perfect stepping stone to establish himself as one of the leading attacking outlets on English shores, but his maiden year was anything but auspicious, with just one Premier League goal scored all season, in a defeat against Liverpool.

He has improved since Postecoglou took to the dugout this year, posting one goal and three assists from ten matches thus far, having also scored in the Carabao Cup against Fulham.

However, given that Johnson has started to find success on the left wing, Richarlison's future at the club could be thrown into jeopardy, with the Brazilian dynamo currently among the absentees after having an operation on a groin issue last month.

Spurs' forthcoming run of fixtures will be crucial in maintaining a spot in Champions League contention for the foreseeable, and if Johnson can contribute with some effective displays then Postecoglou could be convinced to relegate Richarlison to the bench – with Dejan Kulusevski's position on the right flank seemingly untouchable right now.

Johnson's proclivity to drive into promising areas and instigate passages of play that could lead to a goal is something that Postecoglou simply cannot ignore, and while Richarlison has improved, his overall performance is still some way below the desired standard.