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Ange Postecoglou praised Richarlison, the Tottenham forward, for his two goals that led to their win against Newcastle, breaking their losing streak since October 27th.
In November, the Spurs were in first place in the Premier League. However, they faced a tough stretch due to injuries and were unable to win any of their last five games, even though they initially took the lead in each one.
This time, Ange Postecoglou’s decision to select a different team proved successful as Richarlison, who was brought back into the game, scored two goals following Destiny Udogie’s initial goal in the 26th minute.
Son Heung-min, who was moved to the left wing, scored the fourth goal after providing two assists. However, the star of the night was Richarlison, who has had a difficult time since his £60million transfer last year and had recently undergone surgery for a long-standing groin problem.
Postecoglou reflected on the significance of Richy’s contribution, stating, “Yeah, Richy was great, really important.”
“I believe that the addition of him and Pape (Sarr) provided our team with a boost of energy. It was crucial for us today, especially with the midweek game against West Ham, and I was impressed with their performance.”
Clearly, scoring a couple of goals as a striker was a positive achievement for Richy.
At the beginning of the year, Richy was significant to our team, but he was not completely healthy. It was evident that his movements were limited.
Sometimes, we had to position him on the edges in order for him to complete games. However, since his return, it is safe to say that he has experienced an improvement in his physical well-being, which has also positively affected him mentally.
“It was fantastic that he scored two goals today, but it wasn’t just his scoring that stood out. His overall work ethic, energy, and physicality were also impressive.”
Last month, Richarlison had surgery, causing Tottenham’s list of absent players to reach double digits. However, the team’s five-match losing streak is now coming to an end.
Postecoglou stated that they are working towards creating something and part of that involves not giving the team too much room for excuses during difficult times. However, he admits that in hindsight, he may have been too strict on them, as they suffered significant losses after the Chelsea game.
“It is not a coincidence that we are becoming stronger as our players return to the team.”
“I will not speak on Eddie Howe’s behalf, but I can see what he’s going through and in this league if you have one or two key players out, you’re going to struggle.
“I am hopeful that we are emerging from this situation, and with the return of Richy and Pape today, we were able to make two changes despite playing a midweek game. Unfortunately, Eddie was unable to make any changes, but I believe we had more energy and stamina today, which was much needed.”
Howe, the manager of Newcastle, was able to include Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson in the team for the game, but his team, which remained the same as the previous game, looked fatigued after their 3-0 defeat to Everton on Thursday.
The Magpies face a challenging task as they take on AC Milan at home in a vital Champions League match on Wednesday.
“I had a challenging afternoon,” Howe confessed.
“The players have persevered admirably during a busy stretch of games, facing tough opponents.”
“We have not performed at our best during our recent matches against Everton and Tottenham, which were in close proximity to each other. This is apparent to everyone.”
I believe the players have put forth their best effort and I must stand behind and encourage them, but also acknowledge that our performance was far below our potential.
Source: independent.co.uk
