Troy Deeney shocked by Richarlison footage in Tottenham loss v Liverpool
Tottenham have had a poor season and with them sitting 14th in the Premier League, cup competitions have become the priority.
Ange Postecoglou has not hidden away from the statistic that he always wins something in his second season with the club which has left the pressure mounting too.
However, a 4-0 loss at Anfield on Thursday (6 February) means Spurs missed out on a place in the Carabao Cup final, losing 4-1 on aggregate.
Troy Deeney offers identifies Tottenham change
It was a poor night for the Lilywhites at Anfield as the Reds dominated proceedings and after getting their first goal, found it far too easy to score.
Postecoglou’s side were clearly hoping to defend their 1-0 lead from the first leg but when they needed to step up and get back into, it was a big effort with his side failing to register a shot on target until the 80th minute of the game.
It was not helped by Richarlison having to go off at half-time through an injury, something that has become all too common for the forward in North London.
The Brazilian has made just nine Premier League appearances this term, missing the rest of the time with a hamstring issue.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (7 February, 10:26am), Troy Deeney was left questioning what has happened to the 27-year-old as he admitted: “I remember Richarlison when he was with us at Watford. He was nasty and what I mean by nasty he wanted it, he was all or, this was everything for him. He’d obviously come from Brazil, whole new lifestyle change, I’ve got to make this work and he dragged us through a lot of games.
“An exceptional player but his determination to play week in, week out. I think he played 18 months straight, no rest no nothing, he went all the way through. Then he goes to Everton, they are obviously in a relegation battle. The culture there is you’ve got to work hard, do what you’ve got to do and he did really well.
“Then he gets his move to Spurs. Since he’s been to Spurs, he’s been injured more in that time at Spurs than he has over the two clubs I just previously mentioned and then, I see him now and I see a softness to him that I’ve never seen before. Like he went down with van Dijk, a little elbow, he went down like he’d been shot. He goes down and I’m watching him going ‘that’s not you, that’s not the kid I remember.'”
Injury issues need addressing at Tottenham
The injury issues at Tottenham have been piling up this season and there is no doubt that these countless problems have affected the side’s form and is partly responsible for where Postecoglou’s side find themselves this term.
However, if the Lilywhites continue to push them under the carpet and label each one of them as bad luck, then they are not going to find a way out from the difficulties they find themselves in.
The amount of injuries that are being picked up at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have to be linked as a result of possible training methods, or the adaptation to a different style of football for many of the squad.
As Deeney points out, there are players like Richarlison who have had a strong record in the past and can’t seem to ever get back to full fitness in North London.
Therefore, if Postecoglou wants to see his side progress, he has to employ the right people to work on the fitness side of things and ensure that the players are being protected from unnecessary injuries.
Furthermore, the mentality has to change at Tottenham too and as previously shown, players must feel like there is no option but to give their all for the team in every game they play.