Richarlison’s sudden emergence as a handy centre-forward has come at a welcome time for him (and Tottenham) as Ange-ball pushed Steve Cooper closer to the sack…
More than a week after Steve Cooper could (and perhaps should) have been sacked following Nottingham Forest’s 5-0 embarrassment inflicted by Fulham at Craven Cottage, Friday night’s home game against Spurs proved beyond any doubt whatsoever that the head coach still has the backing of his players and supporters.
After being given a positive reception from the home supporters before kick-off, Cooper’s team came close to falling behind inside the first five minutes. You would have expected Son Heung-min to score with his early shot from inside the penalty area but his effort was palmed away by Matt Turner.
This opening felt like a worrying sign of things to come for Forest. But actually, the hosts gradually grew into the game following this fortunate reprieve.
Spurs were far from their attacking best and Forest’s pressing – led by tenacious bastard Ryan Yates – caught Ange Postecoglou‘s sloppy side out on various occasions as their out-of-form opponents looked the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock.
But as Jamie Carragher said before kick-off, “There is a different feeling around Tottenham this season” and despite barely being in the game for most of the opening 45 minutes, a single moment of quality on the brink of half-time silenced the home fans in the City Ground.
Forest, who had defended pretty well up to this point, were opened up by a devilish cross delivered by Dejan Kulusevski and his wand of a left foot.
An assist so good it warranted more than just three points in Fantasy Premier League put the ball on a plate for Richarlison – who after his potentially season-turning brace against Newcastle United – beat an approaching Turner to head home his third goal in two games.
This blow before half-time did not deter Forest, though. They would have been level after Wily Boly found himself wide open inside the penalty area had the ball fallen to someone with a bit of composure in front of goal instead of the centre-back, who sliced his effort over.
Forest later had Anthony Elanga’s goal disallowed for offside by VAR and with the strugglers accustomed to the brutal nature of the Premier League more than most, it’s hardly a surprise that Spurs were clinical when another opportunity came their way.
After being a victim of Forest’s press, Spurs gave the hosts a dose of their own medicine in the 65th minute. Pressure from Son forced Turner into making a loose pass, which went straight to Kulusevski.
The Sweden international (who was bloody brilliant) dribbled past Moussa Niakhate before a fierce shot with his weaker right foot went straight through the hands of Turner – who certainly should have done better – and into the net.
Tottenham may be “different” this season but their Spursy tendencies come out in certain moments. At their core, they live for the madness and can’t help but make life difficult for themselves. On this occasion, Yves Bissouma getting sent off (for the second time this term) for a rash knee-high challenge on Yates did the trick.
Spurs were joint-top of the Points Lost from Winning Positions table before Friday night’s game and Forest gave everything in an attempt to add to their opponent’s 16-point tally.
In the end, Spurs – with the help of a heroic late save by Guglielmo Vicario – rode out late Forest pressure to follow up their 4-1 hammering of Newcastle with an impressive 2-0 win on the road.
For Forest, this result extends their dire form (one win in 13) and despite their promising performance, will hammer another nail in Cooper’s coffin.
There’s no doubting his popularity at the City Ground, but this can take him so far in the results business of football management and Forest – who could end the weekend just two points above the relegation zone – need to part ways with their head coach, who will have his pick of most bottom-half Premier League clubs when he decides to make a return.
Forest’s home form (25% win rate) is not as strong as last season (42%) but the City Ground is still a #ToughPlaceToGo and a win there adds more substance to the feeling that Ange-ball is firing once again.
Injuries are f***ing over teams up and down the footballing pyramid and Spurs are no different. But with European and Carabao Cup football off the agenda, a Champions League spot – especially if Aston Villa eventually run out of steam – is well up for grabs.
Carragher reckons Spurs have “got as good a chance as anyone” of claiming fourth spot in the Premier League and while Postecoglou – who has politely asked Santa for a new centre-back – is going to be in the market for recruits in January, the sudden emergence of Richarlison provides a major boost to their Champions League hopes.
Having struggled for fitness and form following his £60m move from Everton last summer, Richarlison’s confidence has been restored and in recent outings at least, has shown the level of performance as a centre-forward he’s displayed regularly for Brazil.
The signing of an additional striker (Santiago Gimenez, maybe) would come in handy, but Richarlison stepping up in a way he couldn’t manage while under Harry Kane’s shadow makes this less of a priority, will take some of the load off of Son and provide a welcome selection dilemma for Postecoglou, who continues to get a refreshing tune out of his evolving Spurs team.
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