Gus Poyet, a former Tottenham midfielder and coach, has confessed that he is still unsure whether Richarlison is a suitable fit for Ange Postecoglou’s system.
Richarlison has struggled to find consistency since his big-money move from Everton 18 months ago, thanks to a combination of injuries and poor form.
The 26-year-old will be optimistic that he has finally turned a corner after scoring a brace in his first game back since having pelvic surgery last month.
Following the 4-1 win over the Magpies, the Brazilian said that his groin problem was so painful that he did not kick the ball during warm-ups, and he admitted that he is now feeling a lot more secure in his body after resolving the problem (Daily Mail).
Will the Spurs hunt for a long-term replacement for Richarlison?
Despite Richarlison‘s return to scoring, Poyet is not sure that Postecoglou sees the former Everton player as a long-term option.
“When Spurs signed Richarlison, I thought it was a great opportunity for him, because they were always missing a player who could play if Harry Kane couldn’t for whatever reason,” the Uruguayan told NewBettingOffers (as relayed by The Mirror).
“It seemed ideal, and he did well while Kane was still present.” Everyone expected Kane to be the starting number nine when he left, but that has not happened for some reason.
“Now they’ve decided to play Heung-min Son up front, and they’ve discovered a better way to win football matches.” Richarlison now has an issue.
“As a player, you can complain about not playing under one coach, then another, but you can’t blame everyone.” Sometimes you have to look in the mirror.
“He’s a good player, but he has to play a certain way, and I’m not sure if he has the right qualities to play as the number nine in Postecoglou’s system.”
“If I were the coach, I’d be in constant communication with him.” I would spend a lot of time talking to him about what I needed in that position and what he needed to accomplish to have a better chance of making the starting XI.”
Poyet pleaded for Tottenham fans to trust Postecoglou‘s approach, claiming that the team’s recent poor form was due to a lack of squad depth.
“Spurs fans must completely trust the process,” the commentator added. They used to grumble about how defensively set up the team was under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, but now they have a manager who does the opposite.
“They play so high up the pitch, and the fans adore them.” [Spurs] require their finest players to be fit in order to maintain their current level of performance and win in the long run. When the greatest players aren’t available, the squad’s quality becomes a factor, and sufficient depth is required.
“As coaches, we always think everything is fine when things are going well, but then you miss your best player for a while and realise you’re not okay.” It also depends on who your opponents are during that period when you are lacking important players.”
Spurs Online Opinion
Postecoglou has been adamant since the summer that Richarlison possesses all of the qualities he seeks in his number nines. So, the Australian coach will give the Brazilian lots of chances to shine in the coming months before making a decision on his future next summer.
Leave a Comment