Joe Cole has shared the decision Ange Postecoglou made in Tottenham Hotspur’s draw with West Ham United on Tuesday night which really surprised him as Spurs toiled at the London Stadium.
It was a frustrating evening for Tottenham, with Brennan Johnson’s early goal being cancelled out by Kurt Zouma before half-time. Surprisingly, that proved to be the last of the goals on a largely miserable night in the capital.
Tottenham have so much depth in the final third. And yet, they were unable to produce the second moment of magic which would have probably won them the game.
Ange Postecoglou did make a couple of interesting calls during the contest.
Joe Cole surprised by Ange Postecoglou’s decision on Tottenham star
James Maddison came off with 20 minutes remaining as he struggled to stamp his authority on the game.
Meanwhile, it was only in the 82nd minute that Richarlison was introduced for the visitors.
There was a frenetic end to the night. But ultimately, neither side was able to find the winner. And speaking on TNT Sports (broadcast on 2/4; 22:45), Joe Cole suggested that he would have expected to see Richarlison a lot sooner.
“If I was a Tottenham supporter I would be thinking cor, I wish I had Harry Kane in this team, because at times they just needed that ability to pick a cross out,” he said.
“I was surprised Richarlison, we didn’t see him earlier, because for Mavrapanos and Zouma it was too easy. Son was dropping off them and they were being patient but when they got there the amount of times I looked up and the occupation of the box wasn’t right.
“The first 15 or 20 minutes they did well with that, bodies were flooding in and West Ham were at times looking like they were overrun in there but as the game went on and you needed that second option, I think a centre forward is someone who can really improve this squad.”
Richarlison needs to be starting games to rediscover best form
Richarlison’s form has stalled a little over the last few weeks. A lot of that is to do with injury, with the forward missing the league clashes with Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
Postecoglou appears to be taking his time with the 26-year-old, particularly with the likes of Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson impressing right now.
Unless he is going to make a brave call and leave James Maddison out of the starting lineup, Postecoglou may be expecting Richarlison to remain patient for now.
But Tottenham fans will be well aware that the forward’s best run in a Spurs shirt came once he was consistently starting for the side.
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