Ange Postecoglou's verdict on Richarlison speaks volumes after Antonio Conte row
Ange Postecoglou has backed Richarlison to flourish at Tottenham - five months after Antonio Conte called the Brazilian "selfish".
Richarlison has struggled for form since joining Spurs from Everton in a £60million deal a year ago. The 26-year-old striker has scored just one goal in 27 Premier League games and failed to score during Tottenham's 2-2 draw at Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
Yet Postecoglou believes Richarlison will find his feet in north London and will "keep supporting him" through this tricky patch. A lot is expected of the former Watford star this season after Harry Kane completed a move from Tottenham to Bayern Munich.
"I thought he worked hard today but I felt we didn’t use him enough," Postecoglou told reporters after Sunday afternoon's game. "I thought we could have been a little bit more direct to him and look for him a little bit more.
"He was making some good runs and he was working hard. He had a couple of half opportunities but I thought we could have created more for him. The key for us with Richy is to keep supporting him because he’s working awfully hard for the team in a defensive sense and when we get in that front third I thought we didn’t look enough for him today.
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"I have got a lot of time for him. He’s a striker and he’s got a lot of great attributes and he will always work hard for the team and that’s a good starting point for me."
Postecoglou's comments come after his predecessor Conte clashed with Richarlison. The Italian was furious in March when Richarlison told reporters: "This season, excuse the word, it's been s*** because I don't have minutes, I suffered a little with the injury.
"But, when I enter the field, I give my life. I came from two games well, I think that's it, I think I should have played and I don't have to cry about it."
Richarlison has struggled form since his move to Tottenham (Getty Images)Do you agree with Ange Postecoglou? Let us know in the comments below!
Conte replied: "First of all, I watched the interview of Richarlison. He didn't criticise me. He said his season was s***, and he's right. His season has been not good.
"He had injuries, played and scored in the Champions League and then went to the World Cup and then had a serious injury. He's scored no goals for us. I think he was really honest to say his season was not good. His season has not finished yet.
"If he deserves to play, I'll give him the opportunity... For the rest of the interview, I think he made a mistake. When you speak of 'I' and not 'us', you are being selfish. I say to my players, 'if we want to build something important and win a trophy, we have to speak with 'we' not with 'I'', because otherwise you're thinking of yourself.
"He made a mistake and he apologised and it was good for me to clarify with the team again about this. In this aspect, we have to improve. We have to be more of a team and show more spirit positive, especially in negative moments."
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