Tottenham Hotspur took on Manchester City in the Premier League and emerged victorious, much to the delight of Thomas Frank.
The new Tottenham Hotspur boss arguably couldn’t have had a better start to life at Spurs in the league, winning both his Premier League openers and sitting pretty on a flawless record.
He had his players to thank. There were a sea of good performances, from Pape Matar Sarr to Mohammed Kudus – they were all excellent.
That also includes Richarlison, who, although not on the scoresheet, was a constant menace to the Cityzens. His new manager knows the value of the Brazilian.
Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Thomas Frank on Richarlison
Frank spoke about Richarlison on two occasions. The first was pre-game to Sky Sports, where he hailed him as “very good” in his opening few games as Spurs boss.
He said: “Of course, I think any player needs confidence. For a striker, the best confidence they can get is by scoring goals. I think he’s been very good – you can see him still stepping up and improving.
“Richie is a top striker, so I’m so happy that he’s performed well in the last two games, and hopefully he’ll continue today. One more goal would be nice.”
The former Everton man didn’t get a goal, but he did get an assist, and his plaudits came from the tireless work he did off the ball. Frank noted this at full-time, claiming that him playing so well is keeping Dominic Solanke out of the side.
Frank said: “I think, again, Richie performed very well today. Top assist, great presence up there, work ethic – everything about it was very, very good.
Thomas Frank, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, looks on prior to the Premier League match
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
“We need two good strikers because we’re going to play a lot of games. And of course, Richie is now starting, so we just need to keep it going.”
Dominic Solanke has a point to prove at Tottenham
Since signing for £65m, Solanke hasn’t really hit the ground running, and now he has an issue at Spurs. Richarlison performing means he’s not the leading striker.
Richarlison really suits Frank’s style of play. His relentless pressing is very desirable, and this means that when Solanke does get a chance in the limelight, he must grab the opportunity with both hands.
Tottenham face Bournemouth in the Premier League next weekend, where Richarlison will surely start again as Spurs and Frank look to make it three out of three in England’s top flight.