Matthew Chadder

Wed 18 October 2023 12:10, UK

It has not been an easy season for Tottenham number nine Richarlison and it didn’t get any easier for the Brazil forward during his nation’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat at the hands of Uruguay.

Richarlison has struggled to impact many games during the current campaign for club or country, scoring just twice all season, yet his most recent performance against Uruguay might be his worst to date.

If Ange Postecoglou was watching on during the early hours UK time on Wednesday (18 October), he would have been cringing at what he saw, and selecting the forward when Spurs host Fulham will now be hard to justify.

In all fairness, considering the start he has made to the season, it is a surprise he has continued to get any minutes on the pitch at all. According to stats by Wyscout, so far this season the 25-year-old has averaged just 2.06 successful attacking actions per 90 minutes of action and has completed just 38.1 per cent of the dribbles he has attempted.

The graph displayed in the image above doesn’t make for great reading and reveals that Richarilson has been particularly poor when it comes to his key passes per 90 (0.22), goal conversion percentage (7.41 per cent), goals per 90 (0.21) and dribbles per 90 (2.27).

After his performance during the 1-1 draw with Venezuela last week, during which he was booked, failed to register a shot at goal and hooked off just shy of the hour mark, the former Everton man was finally dropped by his country for the clash with Uruguay, having started the last five consecutive Brazil matches and failing to score in any of them.

Nonetheless, he still managed to get an entire half of football under his belt as he replaced the injured Neymar in the 45th minute, moments after Brazil had gone behind when Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez found the back of the net.

However, despite playing the entirety of the second half, Richarlison did absolutely nothing to impact proceedings. Once again he failed to have a shot, registered just 17 touches of the ball and completed just 44 per cent of his passes, only attempting nine in total (Sofascore).

In addition to this, he lost all four of his aerial duels and gave possession away ten times. While he did win his one ground duel and make a tackle, supporters have come to expect much more from the striker, who continues to underwhelm.

Brazil would eventually concede again in the 77th minute, as goalscorer turned provider, with Nunez setting up Nicolas de la Cruz to seal the win.

In fairness to the Tottenham man, it was a poor performance altogether by Brazil, who failed to have a shot on target, with Rodrygo earning the side’s highest match rating at just 6.9. However, considering the quality Richarlison possesses and his track record in a Brazil shirt, fans will want to see him grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and making a difference himself, even when his team is underperforming.

After all, for a player who went for £60million just last summer, that is the least Brazil and Spurs supporters should demand. Following his latest performance, Postecoglou might be tempted to take a leaf out of Fernando Diniz’s book and drop Richarlison against Fulham.

In other Tottenham news, one other player at the club has impressed while away on international duty.