English pundit wants Tottenham forward Randal Kolo Muani to improve his finishing skills after poor misses vs FC Copenhagen
Tottenham Hotspur beat FC Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League, bouncing back in style after back-to-back defeats. The 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League led to fans booing the players away at full-time whistle, but midweek’s victory restored the smiles around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The victory over FC Copenhagen was a confidence-boosting night for Thomas Frank‘s side. Goals from Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Micky van de Ven and Joao Palhinha sealed the deal on a memorable night for Spurs ahead of the visit of Manchester United at the weekend.
Thomas Frank decided to stick with Randal Kolo Muani up front, despite him blowing more cold than hot in the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. The 26-year-old spent almost a month on the sidelines owing to a dead leg after making his debut for Spurs in the 1-0 win over Villarreal in September. So, he has had to work his way up to full speed and fitness, and now the gaffer is showing faith in the forward.
Thomas Frank is convinced that Randal Kolo Muani will come good for Tottenham Hotspur.
Thomas Frank is convinced that Randal Kolo Muani will come good for Tottenham Hotspur.
Ex-Liverpool midfielder backs Randal Kolo Muani to improve
Tottenham signed Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day after Dominic Solanke picked up a new injury. The France international did not have much of a pre-season, given the constant speculation over his future, and he has instead had to build up slowly since his move to N17.
The versatile forward has now played seven games in a Spurs shirt, but in the 3-0 away victory over Everton last month, he showed some fine touches and link-up play. Against Copenhagen on Tuesday, he did the same and gave Frank’s side a much-needed focal point. Kolo Muani did miss some chances, but he ended up with a fine assist. The manner in which the Bondy-born talent controlled the ball inside the box before quickly passing it to Odobert for the goal demonstrated how technically sound he is.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy claimed Kolo Muani was a real handful for the Copenhagen defence, even though he missed some chances. After the latest Champions League outing, he has backed the loanee from PSG to improve.
“And the other thing, and you’ll see a couple of really poor misses from Kolo Muani and that doesn’t do his performance justice,” Danny Murphy said on talkSPORT.
“He could be a player for Tottenham. I know they’ve got some problems up front at the minute, but he’s getting fitter and stronger and he was an absolute handful. He looks a decent player.”
Kolo Muani offering more than Richarlison
Kolo Muani may have not broken his Spurs duck yet but he is clearly offering more than Richarlison up top. Technically strong, sharper and with a better spatial awareness, the Frenchman is seemingly growing in confidence with every passing game. He also appears to be a fine presser and better than Richarlison at holding the ball up.
Perhaps, Frank has realised that and is handing Kolo Muani starts. If he can start finishing some of the chances that comes his way, the 2022 World Cup finalist can provide a stop-gap solution for Tottenham’s goalscoring problems.