Tottenham Hotspur slipped further into the Premier League relegation battle after their 2-1 defeat to Fulham.
Igor Tudor’s side are now without a win in 10 league games, representing one of the club’s worst recent runs.
Sunday’s defeat against Marco Silva’s side highlighted their problems once again as their defensive frailties came to the fore in the first half, while they also looked devoid of quality and precision in the final third.
Goals from Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi gave Fulham a commanding 2-0 lead heading into the interval. Richarlison came on as a second-half substitute and halved the deficit, but that wasn’t enough as the home side saw off the game to secure all three points.
And the Brazilian, along with two players who returned from injury, were singled out for special praise by the mercurial Tottenham boss.
Richarlison, Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso praised
Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso returned to training for Tottenham ahead of the game and featured in the defeat to Fulham.
Tudor switched to a 4-3-3 from a 3-5-2 for this game, with Porro stationed as the right back. Danso came on as a late substitute to shore things up at the back and potentially win headers in the Fulham box as Tottenham pushed for a late equaliser.
When asked if Richarlison is the kind of character he needs in the squad in their fight to avoid the drop, Tudor said (quotes via Football London), “Of course they give something and of course we need that.
“Pedro [Porro] also, when Kevin [Danso] comes inside, personality and quality so it changes. They bring this, of course. This is the key – to have the players who can give this to the team.”
Richarlison should start for Tottenham
Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani started either side of Dominic Solanke in attack for Tottenham at Craven Cottage.
While Kolo Muani worked hard and made things happen, Simons was completely out of the game, while Solanke was also miles off the pace in what was yet another underwhelming outing overall.
Richarlison came off the bench and made a big impact, while the same could be said for Mathys Tel.
With time running out, Tudor needs to play the ones in form, so don’t be surprised to see Richarlison and Tel in the starting XI for the game against Crystal Palace.
