Tottenham Hotspur have faced injury setbacks throughout the ongoing campaign, with their centre-forward Richarlison being the latest one.
The Brazilian striker has been absent from the starting lineup for Spurs’ last seven Premier League fixtures due to a knee injury.
Richarlison recently disclosed that his knee is still causing discomfort, and he hasn’t felt fully fit.
However, he has made two short substitute appearances for Spurs since then, featuring for 5 minutes against Luton Town last month and for 8 minutes against West Ham earlier this month.
With the absence of the former Everton man, Ange Postecoglou has opted to include Timo Werner in the lineup, with Son Heung-min shifting from his usual left-wing position to play as a centre-forward, while the German occupies the left flank.
Former English striker Jay Bothroyd suggests that Werner’s position in the team could be at risk once Richarlison returns to full fitness from injury.
Despite showing flashes of his speed and acceleration on the wing, Werner has struggled to be clinical in converting goalscoring opportunities, managing only 2 goals in the Premier League in his 12 appearances.
He notably missed two crucial opportunities in Tottenham’s recent 4-0 drubbing against Newcastle United last Saturday.
Werner to be dropped once Richarlison is back
On The Optus Sport Football Podcast, Bothroyd hypothesized that upon Richarlison’s return, Son would probably revert to his left-wing position, leading to Werner being benched.
He argued that this tactical shift could improve Spurs’ offensive capabilities.
The pundit said:
“I feel like, if Richarlison is back, Son will go to the left, he (Werner) will be out of the team.
“And I think they will be better going forward because then you’ve got some players that you can play link-up play with, that you can work with.”
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