Tottenham forward Richarlison is set to miss the Newcastle United game due to a muscle injury
With the summer transfer window slamming shut on August 30 in most European leagues including the Premier League, Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur can now fully focus on building on a fine start to the new season.
The north London club have gained four points from their opening two Premier League games. Ange Postecoglou’s side were unlucky to pick up only a point after dominating large parts of the game against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in their season opener but responded fantastically by trouncing Sean Dyche’s Everton 4-0 at home last weekend.
It was a happy return to home for Tottenham as they dominated the game from start to finish and could’ve scored a lot more against Everton. Now, they shift their attention to a challenging assignment against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park, which immediately brings haunting memories of last season.
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Spurs have suffered a big blow ahead of the game with Richarlison suffering a muscle injury in training. This will see him miss Spurs’ trip to Newcastle on Sunday.
“Richy pulled up sore, I think there’s a muscle injury there, we’re just getting more information but he’ll be out as well,” Postecoglou stated in his pre-match press conference (h/t Football London).
“Yeah, that’s it and that’s a challenge, I guess. It’s something we’ve got to look at again. He’s been in that cycle for quite a while and predating me, I guess. We’ve put a lot of thought [into it], we took a really sort of conservative approach with him. He didn’t play in any of the preseason games, and he’s really only played 20 minutes of first team football.”
Richarlison has struggled with fitness since joining Tottenham from Everton in the summer of 2022. Recurrent injury problems and lack of consistency have held the Brazilian forward from unlocking his true potential at the north London club.
His first season in a Spurs shirt was particularly disappointing, bagging only one goal in the Premier League which came in the epic 4-3 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. However, the 27-year-old’s second campaign was miles better than the first, scoring 11 goals in the Premier League. Despite facing setbacks owing to injury issues, the versatile forward ended up registering 12 goals and four assists in 31 games across all competitions.
The latest muscle injury is yet another setback for Richarlison, who didn’t participate at all during the pre-season tour of Asia because of his fitness concerns. So, he has started the new season practically with no pre-season minutes under his belt.
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We can only hope the muscle injury Richarlison suffered is a minor one and that doesn’t keep him on the sidelines for long. Big Ange definitely needs each and every player to be fit and contribute to the team’s cause, which also includes the Brazil international.
