Let’s be fair — if Tottenham Hotspur have been Vibes FC this season under Ange Postecoglou, the vibes aren’t especially great at the moment. After Sunday’s 4-2 loss at Anfield, Spurs have now dropped four consecutive matches for the first time in two decades and after a hot start have now been all but eliminated from Champions League contention next season.
But despite some public fan frustration, the Spurs players don’t seem to have given up quite yet. Richarlison gave a Portuguese-language interview with ESPN Brazil after the Liverpool match and offered some much needed perspective on how far Spurs have already come this season under Postecoglou, along with some optimism for the future.
“The last four games have not been easy for us. We’ve had four straight defeats now, difficult, but there’s nothing for us to do but work. Our next game is at home.
“Of course we want to play in the Champions League [next season]. We still have a chance, but it’s a little difficult. There isn’t anything we can do, it’s work, go to the next game and see what will happen by the end of the season.
“Look, we’ve presented a much more dynamic and, let’s say, more elegant and beautiful kind of football compared to last season. But we have evolved, we have evolved a lot. I believe that, as of this week, it has already been announced that the manager will make changes, so I believe that next season he will be putting together a much more competitive team.”
Richy also talked a little bit about his previous club — he was booed vociferously by the Kop on Sunday due to his status as a former Everton player, but Richy appeared to take it all in stride.
“It’s normal, right? Because I played at Everton, being an idol here at Everton, the fans here at Liverpool kind of don’t like me, but it’s part of football. And every time I come here I can score, so today I was happy to score a goal. Unfortunately we left with a bad result, we have our heads raised and can move on to the next game.”
It’s not clear yet whether Richarlison will be a part of that changed squad next season or not. He’s been regularly tipped as a player for whom Spurs could listen to offers this summer, considering his injury history and initial price tag. That said, when he’s been on the pitch this season he’s been pretty good. He was one of the few bright spots in Sunday’s 4-2 loss, tallying a goal and an assist as a second half substitute, and Postecoglou said the only reason he didn’t start against Liverpool was that he wasn’t fit enough to play Thursday-Sunday.
Still, it’s nice to hear a player come out and point out the obvious — Spurs have changed a LOT from last season to this one, and the process of converting from Conte-ball to Ange-ball has only started. Based on this, Richy appears to still be fully on the bandwagon.