Tottenham won't stay top of the Premier League without January replacement for goal-shy forward
Tottenham go top of the Premier League but need to find a better solution on the left wing than Richarlison if they want any chance of staying there.
The first 10 minutes showed why Tottenham are part of the Premier League title discussion – and why they won’t win the Premier League title.
They sliced through Luton every which way – crosses, through balls, long punts – and created three very good chances, fluffing them all. It will come as no great surprise that Richarlison was the chief offender.
The great benefit of having a striker playing on the wing is their ability to sniff out a chance. Richarlison showed that goalscorer’s instinct twice: first beating a defender to Dejan Kulusevski’s brilliant cross, before making an out-to-in run for James Maddison. As is so often the case, you couldn’t fault his movement. It was perfect.
But the desire and skill required to get on the end of those chances is at complete odds with the Brazilian’s ability to finish them. He mishit both efforts: the first from inside the six-yard box; the second a bit further out; both with just the goalkeeper to beat.
And those claiming ‘the goals will come’ for Richarlison because of the chances he’s getting should perhaps pay more attention to a career up to this point in which the goals have never really arrived; certainly not to a degree required of someone playing for a title contender.
His best-ever league return is 13 goals, which he achieved in consecutive seasons for Everton. He averages 0.10 goals per shot across his career, down to 0.04 last season and 0.05 this term. Son Heung-min, by contrast, has 0.27 goals per shot this season and a career average of 0.19.
The lack of goals wouldn’t be such an issue if Richarlison was a great creator, but he’s made just 1.28 key passes per 90 this season, fewer than seven of his Tottenham teammates, and his 2.06 shot-creating actions per 90 makes him the 13th best in Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
Had Spurs not won, blame would likely have been pinned on Yves Bissouma, and the midfielder certainly deserves any criticism he gets having been sent off after a shameful dive. But Richarlison should have had this game sewn up for Spurs after four minutes, preventing the need for Bissouma’s professional foul for his first yellow, let alone the ludicrous second.
Spurs were saved by another brilliant Maddison assist and a fine finish from Micky van de Ven, both players who exemplify the improvement of the team under Postecoglou.
The Australian boss has upgraded through Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Pedro Porro and Pape Matar Sarr, and will be in search of ways to further tweak his starting XI. A more effective forward to come from the left, or to play through the middle with Son moving into Richarlison’s position, has got to be the priority.
They simply can’t afford not to score the chances Richarlison missed on Saturday. Luton had at least three very good opportunities to score themselves, buoyed by still being in a game they should have been well out of.
Postecoglou’s side essentially escaped with three points against a team they should be roundly beating, in what could be seen as an illustration of their title credentials having been down to 10 men for half the game, but should actually be more of a cause for concern due to an early profligacy – from Richarlison in particular – that made the win so laborious.
