Tottenahm Hotspur supporters are mere days away from watching the first match with new manager Roberto De Zerbi in charge, as nothing less than three points will satisfy this club going forward with so little margin for error left in the relegation battle following the 3-0 debacle to Nottingham Forest just before the break.
Spurs will battle Sunderland this weekend, and everyone is excited to see De Zerbi's first starting lineup in charge of the Lilywhites. The Mohammed Kudus injury blow leaves more questions than answers lingering, especially with James Maddison still out and Dejan Kulusevski pretty much already ruled out for the rest of the season on the right wing.
Perhaps the most intriguing positional storyline is how De Zerbi will utilized the underperforming trio of No. 9's in Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani, and Dominic Solanke. All three have flashed at various points this season, and while Solanke is the best on paper, the man of real intrigue during this Premier League relegation fight is the man who succesfully navigated one before with another historic English club, Everton.
Roberto De Zerbi has plans for Richarlison
In an interview with the 2 Robbies Podcast for NBC Sports, Roberto De Zerbi spoke about utilizing Richy and praised his all around quality and versatility, almost hinting at using him in a position other than striker. He also said that he views Richy has important to his plans, âRicharlison can play in different positions. Heâs a good guy, heâs a clean guy, heâs a honest guy. I like him, as a player, as a mentality, as an attitude. In the same position, we can play with different players, but I think, to achieve our target, we need Richarlison in the best way possible.â
Nothing De Zerbi is saying is out of line, and the Tottenham Hotspur faithful will 100 percent agree with the statements of liking Richy as a person and his mentality. Whereas players like Randal Kolo Muani have come off as mercenaries who don't care since they know they will be leaving anyway, Richy, transfer listed himself, will always give it his all for the badge, especially since he was the one who rejected those transfer rumors in the first place.
Will De Zerbi roll with two strikers together? Utilize Richy on the wings to make use of his versatility in different positions? De Zerbi is the experimenter who holds all the keys to the laboratory, but it sounds like Richy is a guy he has plans for.