Arsenal legend Lee Dixon has said that Richarlison can be unplayable when he is at his best but questioned whether the Brazilian can perform consistently to the level that is required at Tottenham.
Over the last few weeks, Richarlison has come under quite a bit of criticism for his lacklustre start to the season, with many pundits questioning whether the 26-year-old is good enough to lead the line for Spurs (talkSPORT).
On Saturday, the forward served a timely reminder of his qualities as he came on as a late substitute to head in an equaliser with a well-directed header from Ivan Perisic’s corner kick before setting up Dejan Kulusevski’s match-winner deep into stoppage time.
Son Heung-min admitted after the game that he and his teammates are delighted for Richarlison, insisting that the Lilywhites need the former Everton man fit and firing (Yahoo Sport).
(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
Richarlison can be unplayable at his very best
Dixon believes that while there is no doubt about the forward’s qualities, he is someone who blows hot and cold.
The pundit said on The 2 Robbies Podcast on NBC Sports about the Tottenham man: “He’s come back into the team, at his best he’s almost unplayable.
“He plays up front for Brazil, you know he’s their number nine so he can’t be that bad. But you don’t see enough of him at his best and that will be down to his emotion.
“You’ve played in teams where you’ve got a bit of a maverick and you go, ‘This lad, he can win us any game we play in’. But then you’re kind of looking at him for 75% of the games he plays in and thinking, he’s a liability or he’s not quite doing enough.
“So, I think he’s one of them, I’m not saying you only get 25% out of him. In order for him to be positioned in the place where he is right now as Tottenham’s number nine replacing Harry Kane, you’ve got to be churning goals out week in, week out.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Many top forwards, including Son, score their goals in purple patches rather than consistently through the season. So, I do not see that as being a particular problem with Richarlison.
Given the number of chances we create, the Brazilian is more than capable of getting 15 goals or more over the course of the campaign.
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