Tottenham: The one big change that could get the best out of Brennan Johnson | OneFootball

Johnson is one of the best finishers at Spurs and getting him in front of goal as often as possible should be a priority for Thomas Frank

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Brennan Johnson was away, nobody in red getting close to catching him, and the finish was typically composed, dinked over the goalkeeper to bounce satisfyingly into the empty net.

Still, though, there is a real dilemma for Thomas Frank in how to get the best out of Johnson.

On Wednesday against Doncaster, he started on the right for the first time this season and looked far more comfortable. He gave full-back Jack Senior huge problems, skipping past him on the outside to get to the byline and put in crosses.

Johnson raced through the middle against Doncaster before a dinked finish over the goalkeeper

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Mathys Tel had two chances put on a plate for him by Johnson and swung at thin air on both occasions. In the second half, the winger rolled the ball across the face of goal but nobody was following in at the back post. Had the ball cross in from the opposite flank, you would have backed Johnson to be there.

The problem is that Johnson is not going to get many starts on the right with Mohammed Kudus the clear first-choice on that flank.

The Welshman therefore started the season on the left, but he is less effective. Although he scored against Burnley and Manchester City, there were large periods of the match when it was easy to forget he was even on the pitch.

Frank has gone through several options on the left already this season and none have been hugely convincing. Johnson's advantage over Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert is that he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and scoring.

“What I like about Brennan is that both right or left, he is very good to arrive in the box, very good to run in behind and I think they are his key strengths,” Frank said earlier this month.

"I think that is not the main reason, because there are a lot of other bits, but whereas Wilson and Xavi [Simons] are a bit more tricky, but they are not as consistent to arrive in the box, which actually is relatively important if you want to score goals and we would like to score goals.”

Playing Johnson through the middle is an experiment worth considering

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There is a growing argument that Johnson could be worth trying centrally.

In the absence of Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, Tel has served as the back-up striker. The Frenchman is low on confidence and unconvincing in front of goal, and Frank has suggested that his best position is on the left.

Johnson has the clinical edge as one of the club's very best finishers. Getting him in front of goal as often as possible should be a priority.

There is not enough conviction when he takes on a man out wide, League One opposition aside, and his strength is finding the back of the net. From a central position he can still stretch a defence with his runs in behind, and the likes of Simons and Lucas Bergvall would surely relish picking him out.

Johnson's hold-up play is certainly not as good as Richarlison’s, but in matches where there is space and opportunities for Spurs in transition, he could thrive down the middle.

Should Frank at some stage return to a 3-5-2 formation he used in the UEFA Super Cup, Johnson feels like an ideal candidate to play off the main forward.

Opportunities on the right are going to be hard to come by and he is too quiet on the left, even if he does still chip in with goals. There is little sign of Frank considering converting Johnson into a striker, but it is an experiment worth considering.