Richarlison ‘to be Thomas Frank go-to’ at Tottenham after ‘massive’ PSG display
Richarlison has endured a difficult time since his move to Tottenham.
The former Everton star has had persistent injury issues, which have restricted him to just 91 appearances across four seasons in North London.
However, there is hope that he can turn things around at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium under Thomas Frank, especially after the penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.
Paul Robinson believes the defeat could be damaging for Spurs after seeing Richarlison’s reaction, but it could spark him to life in a Lilywhites shirt.
Richarlison has already stepped up for Frank at Tottenham
Richarlison featured in four of Tottenham’s six pre-season matches and has a point to prove to Frank in the new campaign.
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He has started well under the Dane, and his effort in the 2-2 draw with the Champions League winners, which ultimately resulted in a loss on penalties, shows why he can be a key asset.
The 50-cap Brazil star had two shots on target against the Parisians and completed the most dribbles in the contest, with two of his three attempts working out, for a 67 per cent success rate, as per Fotmob.
It was his defensive work rate that will have impressed the ex-Brentford boss the most, though, as the 28-year-old made four recoveries and one block in the Udine clash.
He won four of the seven ground duels and two of the four aerial duels that he contested, for 57 per cent and 50 per cent success rates respectively, in a brilliant showing.
Spurs legend Clive Allen was impressed with the performance, speaking on talkSPORT (14 August, 13:21 am), he said: “I think what we saw last night, was a Richarlison that is fit, the way he held the ball up well, in the way that the team played, you needed your centre-forward to do that.
“He was physical. I thought his overall game was excellent. The only thing he did not really have was too many chances to actually score, but his contribution was massive.”
Tottenham need Richarlison to stay fit
The ex-Everton man can obviously be a great option for Frank, but he has to stay fit; that is a non-negotiable.
His performance against the French outfit was massive, as Allen states, but if you are only putting in those displays once every few months, there is no point.
He needs to prove that he is reliable in terms of his availability. Tottenham already know he can perform in front of goal; he has proven that plenty of times.
The key now is to stay fit and firing as Frank tries to eclipse the success that Ange Postecoglou brought to N17, especially given that Dominic Solanke seems to be injury-prone since moving to the Lilywhites.
The ex-Bournemouth star missed 14 matches last season, and Richarlison could feature in the number nine role if he continues to suffer with fitness issues.