Richarlison returned to the Tottenham squad vs Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur’s miserable record at the Emirates Stadium continued on Wednesday as they were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal in the North London derby.
Wednesday’s loss to local rivals leaves Spurs 13th with 24 points, 14 off Newcastle United in fourth but just eight above 18th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers. With just one win in nine Premier League games, including a loss to their fiercest rivals, and closer to the relegation zone than the top four, things are going from bad to worse for Ange Postecoglou.
Ange Postecoglou has faced an unprecedented injury situation in his second season at Tottenham. The 59-year-old has been hamstrung by injuries in almost every position on the pitch which has been one of the mitigating factors for such a woeful campaign.
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The Greek-Australian tactician was without three of his first-choice back four for the North London Derby defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday night, while they have had issues higher up the pitch as well. Defenders Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are all currently sidelined, while Timo Werner was the latest player to enter the treatment room after suffering a hamstring injury earlier this week.
However, ahead of the game against Arsenal, Postecoglou was handed an injury boost in the form of Richarlison. When asked about Richarlison’s return after the game, Postecoglou told BBC Match of the Day (h/t BBC Sport)
“Good to get him back. He has pretty much missed the whole season. But injuries are irrelevant if we are not going out there with the right sort of mindset in the team, and we didn’t today.”
After being out for more than two months with a hamstring issue, the Brazilian forward returned to the bench against the Gunners. He was introduced in the 78th minute for skipper Son Heung-min, who had given Spurs the lead in the derby.
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Richarlison barely managed to make an impact in the game, enjoying only 14 touches on the ball. He did make 6/6 accurate passes and supplied one key pass, but that was clearly not enough as Big Ange’s side fell to yet another defeat to Arsenal. (Stats Credit: SofaScore)
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It is now all about the 27-year-old keeping himself fit for the rest of the season. Given his injury record at White Hart Lane, the medical team must manage Richarlison’s fitness well and ease him back into action. With games coming thick and fast, having the South American back is good for Big Ange, who was disappointed with his team’s performance vs Arsenal, as he adds to another option being available in attack.