Tottenham Boss Ange Postecoglou Supports Brennan Johnson’s Challenge on Richarlison

In a show of support for his player, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has defended Brennan Johnson’s brutal challenge on Richarlison during a match against Nottingham Forest last season. Johnson, who was playing for Forest at the time, faced his now-teammate Richarlison when Tottenham visited the City Ground.

Since then, Johnson has made a £47.5 million move to Tottenham, becoming teammates with Richarlison. However, the two players had some unresolved issues from their previous encounter. In August 2022, Johnson made a cynical challenge on Richarlison in the closing moments of a 2-0 victory for Spurs.

Richarlison had just provided an impressive assist for Harry Kane’s second goal but angered the home fans with unnecessary showboating. As Spurs were running down the clock, Richarlison began doing kick-ups, prompting Johnson to teach him a lesson.

Johnson charged at Richarlison after the ball had gone, earning himself a yellow card. Despite the rough nature of the challenge, many pundits believed it was justified, including Tottenham boss Postecoglou.

Speaking ahead of Tottenham’s upcoming match against Forest, Postecoglou admitted that he would have taken Johnson’s side in the situation. “I reckon even if you did what Richy did as a kid, someone would give you a whack!” Postecoglou said.

“That’s just part of football. It’s all good,” Postecoglou added. “We don’t want to take all the fun out of the game, but every player knows there’s a line, and if you cross that line, somebody will bring you back into line pretty quickly. Brennan did that with Richy.”

Richarlison recently returned from injury and scored two goals in Tottenham’s 4-1 victory over Newcastle. Postecoglou expressed hope that this performance would be a turning point for the Brazilian, who has had a challenging start to his time at Spurs.

“I hope there’s a lot more to come from Richarlison. Hopefully, that’s the platform we’ve given him,” the 58-year-old manager continued. “He had a fantastic impact in the Premier League with Everton, and when significant money is invested, expectations rise.

“With a striker, goals are usually the main measure of success, but it’s up to him now. He showed last week that he can be a real threat at this level, both with and without the ball. He won’t be starved of opportunities here, and it’s up to him to take those and elevate his football to the level we believe he can reach.”