Already, Tottenham Hotspur's interim manager Igor Tudor is starting to feel the heat on his job, as he is yet to win a game for Spurs in the Premier League. Following a 3-1 loss to rivals Crystal Palace, fueled by an inexcusable red card from Micky van de Ven, Spurs are dancing precariously above the drop zone, and Tudor may be sacrificed in yet another desperate ploy for survival.
He can help his chances by bringing Richarlison into the fold as a starter, because, bafflingly, he did not start the relegation specialist striker against Palace, instead opting to give more minutes to a mentally checked out Randal Kolo Muani, who was awful as per usual.
Now, Richy would not have spared Spurs in this case, as Tottenham were totally doomed by Van de Ven's red. But it is surprising to see that Richarlison is not counted on by Tudor when everyone knows how much drive he has and how valuable he is in a relegation fight. Everton fans looking on with pity are surprised, too, given how Richy became a hero, even earning his move to Tottenham, by dragging the Toffees to survival in their darkest hour.
Richarlison has been one of the Premier League's best shooters
Beyond the intangibiles, though, there is another reason to start Richarlison. He scores. Even in this difficult season, Richarlison is someone, statistically speaking, who should be getting more shooting chances. Gradient Sports calculated Richy's shooting grade as a 91.2, ranking his finishing above Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Benjamin Sesko, and Viktor Gyokeres.
These are the top strikers in the Premier League, and though Richy did take the shooting option over the better option more frequently than the likes of Gyokeres and Haaland, it is quite striking to see Richy rank as one of the very best shooters in the league.
What got Richarlison benched was how much he was lacking in the all around game, especially compared to Dominic Solanke. But he has scored some bangers this season, and his overall clip of eight goal and three assists in 13 starts and 24 overall appearances is not bad at all for a club that is dangerously close to relegation.
If Tudor were looking for yet another reason to entrust Richarlison to help lead Tottenham to safety in the Premier League, then his ability to find the back of the net and shoot accurately may be an even more important trump card than the experience and pure heart in a relegation fight.