Tottenham Hotspur faced a significant defeat on Friday as they lost 4-2 loss to Brighton, a result that saw them drop out of the top 4.
The scoreline suggested a one-sided affair at one stage, with Roberto De Zerbi’s team comfortably leading 4-0 until the 80th minute.
A glimmer of hope emerged for Spurs in the final 10 minutes with late goals from Alejo Veliz and Ben Davies, sparking belief among the fans. Despite a flurry of attacks from Tottenham, the game concluded without a dramatic turnaround.
Spurs did have several chances of their own to score during the game. Richarlison missed one from close range and had a couple of goals disallowed for offside.
If the centre-forward had timed his runs better, Ange Postecoglou’s side could have had a different result.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright pointed this out as he slammed Richarlison for his performance, expressing frustration with the player’s constantly untimed runs.
Voicing his displeasure on his podcast Wrighty’s House yesterday, he said:
“Honestly, watching Richarlison, the thing that just riles me up more than anything else in the current climate of strikers is that why is he going so early when he’s got so much space.
“The midfielder or the player who’s going to pass it to him has so much time, he can see the back of the defender, and he still goes early. He could’ve scored two goals, he had two goals disallowed where all he’s got to do is just look at this guy’s number, you can see the margins we’re dealing with.
“For me, I’m sorry, as a manager, I’m coming and saying that’s not acceptable. That’s not acceptable when you can see – ‘Okay, let me not go past him. I’ve got so much space.’ He’s got so much time.”
Richarlison has struggled since joining Tottenham last summer. He underwent a surgery on his pelvis to treat an ongoing problem in November. Ever since returning from the injury, he has looked to be back to his old form. He has looked sharp in games and has scored four goals in 4 games.
But Wright is right. He needs to work on his movement and time his runs better. The way Ange has Spurs playing, he will be getting plenty of opportunities to score.
Their next game is against Bournemouth and Spurs will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat but the Cherries are on great form as well, making it a tough game for Ange.
