Crystal Palace fans have given interesting views on how Brennan Johnson fared at right wing-back in a 0-0 draw against AEK Larnaca on Thursday (March 12th). It was a frustrating night for Oliver Glasner’s men, who failed to take advantage on home soil in the first leg of their Europa Conference League last 16 tie.
Glasner was without Daniel Munoz due to a shoulder injury sustained in the 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last Friday. Johnson came into the starting XI in an unfamiliar position despite Nathaniel Clyne’s availability.
The 24-year-old has made a somewhat unconvincing start at Selhurst Park since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur for £35m in January. He was tasked with offering width against a resilient Larnaca defence.
Winging it with Brennan
Johnson’s right-wing-back experiment was one of the major talking points on the night. The Welshman seemed uncomfortable in the first half, but grew into the game after half-time and put several dangerous crosses into the box.
The versatile attacker created two big chances, made two key passes, and found his man with three of 11 attempted crosses. He also won four of seven ground duels and tried to add creativity from out wide.
Johnson spoke of the team’s disappointment about the result after the game. But he “enjoyed” playing in the wing-back position and was willing to contribute, no matter the role, to help the team.
| Brennan Johnson vs AEK Larnaca | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Minutes played: | 87′ |
| Goals: | 0 |
| Assists: | 0 |
| Expected goals (xG): | 0.06 |
| Expected assists (xA): | 0.52 |
| Big chances created: | 2 |
| Total shots: | 1 |
| Carries: | 33 |
The Wales international lasted 87 minutes before coming off for Yeremy Pino. It might be a while before he’s back at wing-back, as Glasner has suggested Munoz is likely to return for the Leeds United game this Sunday (March 15th).
Fans thoughts on Johnson display
Johnson’s performance divided opinion amongst Palace fans, with many feeling he struggled in the first half but impressed in the second. They gave their verdicts to OurCPFC on Instagram following the game.
One fan claimed that he fared well and was particularly effective with crosses into the box:
“He did well he got some good balls into the box and had some glimpses of what he can bring.”
Another supporter wrote:
“Very 50/50 either some good attacking play or just not good enough.”
One argued that Johnson was “mid”, and another wasn’t impressed, writing “, Useless in any position he plays.”
Another fan gave a grim verdict:
“If we’d played a team with any attacking intent at all, we’d have been in serious trouble with Johnson at RWB. The few times they did get forward on his side, his positioning was poor and his “tackling” was abject. Since they more or less didn’t attack him, giving him license to go forward, he had little real impact, notwithstanding one or two decent balls into the box. I can see there’s a player in there, but right now he’s not flourishing. It might be just me, but my impression is they’re no longer really playing for Glasner, and Glasner tactically is totally out of ideas.”
One defended the Welshman:
“Brennan Johnson should have had 2 assists last night against Larnaca, and he managed 2/2 successful dribbles. Promising signs in that performance, and not as bad as everyone is suggesting.”
Last night was Johnson’s 14th appearance since joining Palace from Spurs in the January transfer window. He’s still without a goal, although he has two assists to his name.
