When Tottenham Hotspur signed Richarlison for £60 million in 2022, there were quite high expectations from the Brazilian from the Lilywhites supporters. He was surely seen as someone quite more than just a rotation option. Daniel Levy brought the former Watford striker from Everton to add some bite into the offensive sequences and, of course, a sense of end product across the front line. But fast forward a three seasons, and the Brazilian has been struggling quite a lot to find his rhythm at N17, and that can be seen in terms of his fitness as well as the numbers when it comes to his goal-scoring returns.
But now that Thomas Frank takes charge of the proceedings at N17, there is a window of opportunity for not only Tottenham but also for Richarlison to reintroduce himself to the project at Hotspur Way.
What went wrong for Richarlison so far?
Under Antonio Conte and then Ange Postecoglou, we saw how Richarlison was used a bit inconsistently given how he was often played out of position (on the left or right flank), which is away from his natural central role where he was a menace for Watford and for Everton. And he did struggle to build that chemistry with Harry Kane and Son to make the most of the opportunities at N17.
And then, as we saw in the past seasons, injuries started to appear on a regular basis, which ended up disrupting his rhythm and then his confidence in front of goal.
Richy, in a way, also failed to fully embed himself into Ange’s high-possession and positional play system, which required more finesse and fast decisions. If you looked closely time and again, you’d see that Richarlison often looked like a player being forced to fit into a system rather than one being built around his strengths.
But now Thomas Frank takes charge, and there is a glimpse of hope and opportunities…
Why Thomas Frank’s arrival changes the equation for Richarlison
If we look at the tactical system that Thomas Frank deployed at Brentford (and what he is likely to deploy at Tottenham), his framework is built around structures where you have to use physicality in a certain way with functional roles along the pitch, and this is what opens up a massive opportunity for Richarlison, whose game has always been built on vertical intensity and off-the-ball movements where he presses in triggers and is a menace to his marker.
Tony, what it looks like is that Frank wants what Richarlison naturally offers. Wait, let me explain…
How can Richarlison tactically thrive at Tottenham under Thomas Frank?
If we are talking about Thomas Frank playing Richarlison in a line striking role, the Brazilian can be used to make aggressive diagonal runs into the box and link with wide forwards. We should see him drop occasionally to link play but still mostly attack in offensive channels (like what Wissa did for Brentford under Frank). Moreover, you’d expect him to be strong in duels as he draws fouls and then is a presence on quick transitions. I would say, think Ivan Toney’s role at Gtech Community Stadium but with more mobility and unpredictability in final-third spaces.
Another possibility is if you fit him as a second striker in a 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 diamond, and here we have seen Frank often using a two-forward system where you benefit from a destroyer-runner combination, and here you can play Richarlison off a more physical #9 (Solanke) where he is taken to make late box entries or poaches in chaos. Let me get one thing straight here: Richy would not be tasked with consistent buildup or playmaking, but he would instead be free to focus on pressing and final-third decision-making. Playing like this will open Tottenham to use him in high-energy pressing traps and to attack space behind the line (something that Richy rarely got to do under Ange).
But what did Richarlison have to work on?
Now when you talk rejuvenation, it is not just tactical; in a sense, it is also personal adaptation, and for that to happen, Richarlison must work on a few things. To start with, it’s his emotions. We have seen how Richy often flows with his emotions in the game, and while Frank values emotional players, he wants them to be calm decision-makers, and that is something that the Brazilian needs to work on.
Then he also needs to start trusting the system like he did at Everton, so this way he is not trying too hard to be the hero and overcompensating things.
More importantly, he also needs to stay fit because this start and stop with his availability has been a big factor in his time at Tottenham.
More Tottenham Hotspur News:
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- TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
- TTLB Opinion: Should Tottenham be worried about Van de Ven to Real Madrid or is it all agent talks?
Author Opinion
Thomas Frank doesn’t need Richarlison to be a Harry Kane 2.0; the Dane head coach just needs him to be himself (just a bit better and fitter). And this is the first time that Richarlison will play for a manager who values work rate and functionality above aesthetics at Tottenham, and this allows him to be everything he used to be at Everton and Watford.
I do think that Richarlison has to stay; because now with Thomas Frank at the helm, Richy has a head coach who knows how to let his motor run.
