Stuart Pearce makes damning Richarlison claim after what he just did vs Manchester United
Stuart Pearce has questioned Richarlison’s ability to lead Tottenham’s line after his missed opportunity against Manchester United.
Tottenham welcomed Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday in the hope of boosting their top-four hopes.
The Lilywhites had a sound record against the Red Devils heading into the contest, having lifted the Europa League with Ange Postecoglou in their last meeting.
Richarlison has struggled to perform for the Lilywhites these past couple of months, and the first half against United was no different.
Richarlison miss costly vs Man United
Richarlison missed the opportunity to open the scoring for Tottenham around a quarter of the way into the first half.
Brennan Johnson sent in a great cross into the opposition box, which was even better than the one Pedro Porro had launched moments before.
This time, Richarlison was there to meet the ball, but didn’t get enough on the ball to guide it in.
On the poor effort, Pearce, while commenting on the game via talkSPORT on 8 November, said: “We’ve seen two things there. One why Micky van de Ven is Tottenham’s top goalscorer.
“Missing chances like that indicates the likes of Richarlison isn’t the man to do that job. It was a gilt-edged chance.”
What was a golden opportunity for the Lilywhites came back to haunt them later in the half when former Tottenham target Bryan Mbuemo opened the scoring for United against his former manager.
Given the Brazilian’s poor form and Mbuemo’s excellent season for the Red Devils thus far, Thomas Frank will no doubt regret that his side did not push harder for the right winger.
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Thomas Frank must omit Richarlison from the lineup
Frank started both Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison in the attack against United in a decision that surprised fans.
The choice to start Muani is understandable, but after a horrid cameo in Spurs’ 4-0 win over Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League, it is a wonder why he wasn’t benched against the Premier League side.
- Richarlison missed three big chances
- The Brazilian competed 50 per cent of his passes
- He missed a penalty
On top of this, the penalty he missed was won by youngster Dane Scarlett, and taking it did not go down well with Spurs supporters.
Richarlison is clearly a player low on confidence, and with Kolo Muani playing well and Mathys Tel an option on the bench, Frank should consider omitting the Brazilian from his starting lineup after the international break.
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