Why Thomas Frank must axe Richarlison vs Man City despite Tottenham heroics
Thomas Frank has a tough decision to make over Richarlison’s involvement as Tottenham line up to face Man City next.
Spurs are somewhat of a bogey team for Pep Guardiola, winning five of the last 10 meetings either home or away, even knocking City out of the Carabao Cup in 2024.
On this occasion, the Lilywhites travel to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, 23 August, for their second game of the Premier League campaign after a comfortable win over Burnley in North London.
Richarlison was Player of the Match as Spurs ran out 3-0 victors against the Clarets, bagging a brace, one of which was an audacious scissor kick, before Brennan Johnson added a third.
Tottenham to cause more problems for Man City
However, that might not be enough to persuade Frank that the Brazilian deserves a spot in the starting lineup against the Citizens, especially when reviewing his record against Guardiola’s side.
In 15 appearances against City, Richarlison has been on the losing side 13 times, hitting the back of the net just twice, clearly highlighting how much he struggles against the 10-time Premier League winners.
In addition to that, his overall performance against Burnley might have been skewed by his incredible goal, having failed to show much energy in other areas of the pitch.
Compared to others in the Premier League [FotMob], he ranked in the 19th percentile for total distance covered, the bottom percentile for sprinting, and the 19th percentile for his number of sprints.
When getting a result against Man City can largely depend on playing counter-attacking football, including a lot of closing down, Richarlison would need to play like he did in his Everton days to put the defence under real pressure.
Who could replace Richarlison instead?
The obvious replacement for Richarlison is Dominic Solanke.
Solanke appeared for the final 19 minutes of the game against Burnley, also featuring against PSG in the closing stages in an attempt to reach full fitness.
While the 27-year-old may not yet be at 100 per cent, he could be the difference between a positive and negative result at the Etihad, proven by his last start against Guardiola’s side.
He entered into nine ground duels, won two fouls in dangerous areas, and was an overall nuisance as the England international also picked up an assist in a 4-0 win away from home [FotMob].
There has never been an easier decision for the manager to make, but after his heroics against the Clarets, he could be set for a very difficult conversation with Richarlison if Solanke is to be given the nod up front.