Alasdair Gold singles out Tottenham star who simply ‘didn’t work’ vs Wolves
Joao Palhinha's stoppage-time goal spared Tottenham's blushes as they handed Wolves their first point of the season.
Tottenham drew 1-1 with Wolves in Saturday evening's fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Thomas Frank's side dominated possession as expected, but struggled to break down the side with the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League.
Wolves fought diligently throughout and limited Spurs to very little by way of scoring opportunities and kept the London team's forwards relatively quiet.
Tottenham's striker conundrum
Richarlison looks to have found his feet in a Lilywhite shirt, with three goals and one assist from five starts in the league already this season.
Vitor Perriera's side limited the Brazilian forward to just one shot as the striker accumulated a negligible 0.02 expected goals in the game, according to SofaScore.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold shared his concerns over the number nine position. He said: "Richarlison had a tough game; it just didn't work for him, and I asked after actually, 'are you missing the ability to bring on a Solanke or a Kolo Muani?' It feels like Richarlison is going to be the man to play.
"I think he brings a lot and he gets some important goals, but I don't feel like he's your regular week-in, week-out goalscorer type that's probably going to be a 20-goal-a-season player, I would love him to be, but I don't feel like he is that kind of guy."
It wasn't just Richarlison who struggled in the game, as Gold pointed out that those around him were below-par.
"The service to him [Richarlison] was pants, they were not getting the ball to him too much at all," he added.
Richarlison vs Wolves
- Played the full 90 minutes
- Completed five passes from nine attempted
- One headed effort that was off target, with no other shot taken
- Failed to complete his only attempted dribble
- Made two defensive clearances
Other striker options Mathys Tel has struggled for form at Tottenham since arriving, while Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani struggle for fitness.
Thomas Frank has faced some calls for Xavi Simons to play centrally in a bid to get the most out of his attacking options and fix the service issue Gold believes was on display.
Frank's best options
Tottenham's forward-focused transfer window, signing Mathys Tel permanently alongside Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, and a loan move for Randal Koloi Muani, has improved the team.
Six games into the season, Spurs have scored 11 goals, placing them third alongside London rivals Chelsea and behind only Liverpool and Manchester City.
The goals are being scored but from unlikely sources, as Richarlison and Brennan Johnson are the only two forwards to have registered a goal in the league.
Palhinha is the club's second top scorer, with Micky Van De Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, and Lucas Bergvall the other players to have netted.
All teams do require their entire squad to pop up with the odd goal, but relying on those sources is unsustainable.
Kudus has been an excellent provider with three assists so far, but has yet to convert a chance himself, and if Frank is to stay in those crucial Champions League spots, the attackers need to step up on future occasions.
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