Antonio Conte, head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, recently told Football. London that he was hesitant to start Richarlison in attack alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
The Premier League teams Everton and Tottenham were rivals, therefore during the summer transfer window, Tottenham acquired Richarlison from Everton.
The Brazilian international attacker was not given the nod by Conte to start for Spurs right away.
The Spurs manager has now explained why he has doubts about the 25-year-old Brazilian’s ability to contribute alongside Kane and Son.
Antonio Conte on Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison
When we play with three forwards, your style of play has to be more direct,” Antonio Conte stated. You can’t expect to dominate the ball very much with three forwards and only two in the middle.
“On the one hand, you have less say over the game, but on the other, you know you have three strikers in Sonny, Harry, and Richarlison. We need to set up the rest of the squad for success in terms of scoring.
You know very well that you have to attack, but at the same time it’s necessary to have a solid balance if you want to be competitive, so at first, I was a little worried about putting three strikers like Richy, Harry, and Sonny on the field together.
We’re talking about three strikers, but they’re three strikers that put in a lot of work for the team, so initially, I was hesitant to group them all together. However, whenever it did happen, I always had a wonderful answer about Richy, Sonny, and Kane.
Because of the offensive and defensive balance that the trio of strikers provides, “I think we can play with them,” the coach said.
Important Player for the Spurs
Richarlison, from our perspective, has matured into a key member of the Tottenham Hotspur roster.
The Brazilian is showcasing his talent in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
The 25-year-old attacker has made three starts and five substitute appearances in the Premier League for Spurs so far this season.
The ex-Watford ace has contributed to two assists in those games.
So far this season, Richarlison has scored twice for Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League.
The striker will be crucial to Tottenham’s success this season as they aim to win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.