Dominic Solanke missed the clash against his former club due to an injury, and his absence proved a significant blow to Tottenham Hotspur.
Thomas Frank’s side slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to AFC Bournemouth, as Evanilson netted the only goal of the game.
It was a formidable display from Andoni Iraola’s side, who managed 19 efforts at goal, whereas Spurs mustered just five.
Tottenham Hotspur suffered their first defeat under their new manager and were totally outclassed by the club from the South Coast.
The 1-0 defeat will have been a real wake-up call for everyone at the North London club, highlighting the issues they have up front.
Tottenham fans miss Dominic Solanke after Richarlison’s ‘shocker’ versus Bournemouth
Tottenham Hotspur fans were left disappointed by Richarlison’s performance against Bournemouth as the striker struggled.
Richarlison has been much improved under Frank, but against the Cherries, it was a different story as the 28-year-old dropped a rather poor showing.
The Brazilian failed to produce a single shot at goal in the 90 minutes he spent on the pitch, much to the frustration of the home support.
Spurs were without Dominic Solanke against his former club, as the England international missed out with a minor ankle injury.
Not having him available from the bench was a massive blow for Spurs, especially with Richarlison playing so poorly.
Spurs fans believe that they could have done with Solanke off the bench against the South Coast club and took to X to voice their thoughts on their two strikers.
One fan said: “This Richy performance is exactly why we need Solanke back.”
“The week Richy drops an all-time shocker of a centre forward performance, Solanke is injured – you couldn’t make it up,” added another.
There were further concerns raised over being without Solanke: “Need a striker. When Richy isn’t bothered, he is shocking, and with Solanke out again, we have nothing.”
Finally, another claimed: “LW and ST should absolutely be the TOP priority, Richy and Solanke are injury-prone.”
Frank is a big fan of Richarlison, but against the Cherries, he proved why there are still frustrations over his inability to stay fit and always at the top of his game.
Richarlison’s lack of consistency has been slammed despite his improvements under the new Spurs boss.
Frank is hoping to have Solanke back from a minor ankle injury after the international break, which will be a big relief for the club.
The striker missed some of pre-season with the niggling issue and the new Spurs manager hopes the issue is not too bad.
Ahead of the game, Frank told the media: “He’s got a minor issue with his ankle, which has been grumbling a bit, also in pre-season.
“It is just too much for this game. Now we have the international break, so hopefully he can be back after that.”