Ange Postecoglou has said that Richarlison’s best position is at centre-forward, adding that he felt Son Heung-min might get more chances to score off the left.
Tottenham’s issues against West Ham primarily had to do with the inability of their wide players, Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson, to beat their man, with the Swede and Welshman both second-guessing themselves too many times in the final third.
While many might have expected Richarlison to come into the starting eleven, Postecoglou surprised fans by playing the Brazilian through the middle, with Son reverting to his usual left-wing birth.
The move had the desired effect as the Spurs captain tormented Kieran Trippier for much of the game, setting up the home side’s opening two goals before putting away a penalty with authority in the second half.
Postecoglou was impressed by Richarlison and Son
Postecoglou praised the 31-year-old for the aggression and directness he showed in possession, admitting that he set the tone for the Lilywhites.
When asked if he was pleased with the conviction his players showed in attack, the Tottenham head coach told Football.London: “Yeah I thought we were better in that area. I thought Sonny really set the tone for us early on. Whenever he got the ball he was really positive with it.
“That’s what you need from leadership and I think the rest of the lads fed off that and we were a lot more threatening in that front third than we have been. I thought we got the goals we deserved and could have had a couple more at least. So yeah really pleased with that aspect.”
When asked about his decision to play Richarlison through the middle and Son on the left, Postecoglou responded: “Richy’s healthy now and I think that’s his best position, through the middle. With Sonny, looking at the last few weeks, most of our chances and opportunities have fallen to the wide players.
“He’s still our best finisher and I thought getting him back on the left would give us some more avenues to score goals. As I said, Sonny set the tone early on and I think the rest of the lads fed off him.”
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Son was certainly far more involved in the game off the left and the South Korean looked a lot more comfortable than he has done in recent games. Having Richarlison back fit gives Postecoglou a few more options in attack, which he has not had the luxury of over the last month and a half.