Roberto De Zerbi has provided an update on Richarlison after the Tottenham striker was not spotted training with the squad this week.
Richarlison has come in clutch in a relegation battle already, with his goals keeping Everton up in the 2021-22 campaign.
The Brazilian has repeated the same trick at Tottenham and is currently the club’s top scorer with 10 goals in the Premier League.
He set up Joao Palhinha’s match-winner against Wolves two weeks ago before finding the back of the net at Aston Villa last week, as the Lilywhites managed to climb out from the relegation zone with two consecutive away wins.
Roberto De Zerbi admits he made a mistake with Richarlison during Tottenham’s win at Villa Park
With Dominic Solanke remaining a doubt for the clash against Leeds, the Lilywhites may be reliant on Richarlison to lead the line again, but the striker was not spotted in training this week.
De Zerbi has now revealed that the 29-year-old’s absence is due to fatigue rather than an injury, confessing that he should have taken him off towards the latter stages of the 2-1 win over Villa.
When asked about Richarlison being absent from training, the Tottenham boss told Football.London: “Yes, [he needed a rest] because he worked very hard in Birmingham. I think my mistake was not to substitute him before the end of the game. But, Richarlison was playing very well, he was important in the set-pieces, and he played a great game. But just fatigue.”
De Zerbi confirms he has preferred experience over youth amid Spurs’ relegation battle
Some of the Italian’s selections, particularly in midfield, may have left many people surprised, with Archie Gray and Lucas Bervall having started just one of the four games under the Italian.
The 46-year-old has now admitted that he has relied on the experience of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur due to the club’s predicament.
When asked about his midfield selections and why Gray has not started over recent weeks, De Zerbi responded: “Bissouma, Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, they have much experience. They already know about playing in this situation. But sometimes it’s not just the age to make the difference.
“Lucas Bergvall is another important player for the future, for right now. It’s not a problem just of experience. For sure, the experience can be important in this part of the season.”