Tottenham Hotspur are back in action in the Premier League this evening as they prepare to welcome rivals Chelsea to North London.
The Lilywhites are looking to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the League Cup at St. James' Park on Wednesday night.
Thomas Frank may look to make several changes to the starting line-up from that loss to the Mapgies, which should include dropping Brennan Johnson.
Why Brennan Johnson should be dropped
The Wales international kept his place in the starting line-up after the 3-0 win over Everton in the Premier League, but he failed to justify his inclusion in the side.
Per Sofascore, Johnson produced no shots on target and no key passes in 65 minutes on the pitch against Newcastle, whilst he also failed to complete any of his four attempted crosses.
This shows that he had no impact at the top end of the pitch for the Lilywhites from a right wing position, as he failed to cause any problems for the Magpies in the final third.
That dismal showing came after he also played 89 minutes without registering a single shot or key pass against Everton in the previous game, per Sofascore, which means that the forward has failed to deliver much in the way of quality in his last two starts.
This is why Frank should ruthlessly drop him from the XI, after two ineffective showings, and unleash Mohammed Kudus in his place this evening.
Why Mohammed Kudus should replace Brennan Johnson
Unlike Johnson, the summer signing from West Ham United has provided plenty of quality and proven himself to be a consistent threat in the Premier League this season.
The £150k-per-week star, who Erik ten Hag claimed has "incredible potential", came off the bench to replace the Welshman for the last 25 minutes against Newcastle, and should now come back into the XI to face Chelsea tonight.
Kudus scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win over Leeds United at the start of last month, but it has been his creativity on the ball that has made him a standout star for the Lilywhites in the Premier League.
The left-footed star has provided four assists in nine appearances in the top-flight, per Sofascore, and ranks highly at the club in a host of metrics as a creative force at the top end of the pitch.
As you can see in the table above, the former Hammers star has been the most influential attacking player in the Tottenham squad in the Premier League this season, leading the way for xG and in every key creative statistic.
Kudus, who was dubbed a "dribbling demon" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has averaged at least 2.3 more completed dribbles per game than any other player in the squad, which speaks to how integral he is to how Spurs bring the ball up the pitch.
Meanwhile, Johnson, who struggled against Newcastle and Everton, has no assists and no 'big chances' created in 14 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham this season, per Sofascore.
Kudus provides a level of creativity that means that Frank can rely on him to create something out of nothing with a moment of pure quality, which he cannot rely on Johnson to do, based on his form this season.
Therefore, the manager should ruthlessly ditch the former Nottingham Forest star from the starting line-up in order to bring the left-footed winger back into the XI.