How can Postecoglou and Spurs get the best out of Richarlison?

In every dream home a heartache -- and there have been plenty at Tottenham Hotspur since the magnificent new stadium was inaugurated in April 2019.

The pandemic, of course, is a sad part of the story. But there have been plenty of self-inflicted problems, such as a baffling appointment of a sequence of coaches lacking the slightest connection with the club's historic identity. When the new ground opened, Tottenham were about to play in the final of the Champions League. Since then, Spurs have sunk so far that this season they do not have a spot in any continental competition. It's a decline which led to the traumatic loss of captain Harry Kane, the club's sole world-class player and the representative of the fans on the field.

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But the absence of one is always the chance for another, and now opportunity is knocking for Richarlison.

The Brazil international endured a deeply disappointing first season at Tottenham in 2022-23, but maybe this is not entirely a surprise. There was, of course, the World Cup in the middle of the campaign, and Richarlison never left anyone in any doubt as to how the competition meant to him. Also, it was hard to see why he had been bought and how we would fit into the Spurs team. Through the back end of the season prior, the part of the Tottenham side that had best clicked was the front three, with Kane dovetailing beautifully between Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min.

The Brazilian could not hope to replicate Kane, with his capacity to drop deep and orchestrate the play. Richarlison is a front-forward striker. Former Brazil boss Tite, with whom he worked successfully, described the player as "obsessed with the goal," a kind of footballing racehorse with blinkers offering little subtlety in the build-up, but plenty of explosion in the penalty area. It was hard for him, then, to force his way into Spurs' starting line-up, tough for him to become important to the team, and impossible to build up any momentum.

This season, though, with Kane gone, simply fitting in is no longer an option. Tottenham need Richarlison to step up. The squad looks light in forward options. Admittedly, there are youngsters such as Dane Scarlett and Troy Parrott, and the club have recently acquired Argentine teenager Alejo Veliz. But these are long term options. A more immediate solution is to move Son into the centre-forward position and bring in Ivan Perisic on the left -- as happened towards the end of Saturday's 2-0 win over Manchester United.

But if the victory, and the overall start to the season under new boss Ange Postecoglou have been encouraging, the worry is that Richarlison has still not clicked. In the opening two matches he has hardly had a shot on goal. He cut a sad figure as he was substituted on Saturday, and instantly vented his frustrations on the bench with his compatriot Emerson Royal.

This is clearly not a case of a player out of his depth at the level. He was a Premier League star at Watford, and posed such a threat with Everton that there were rumours of interest from Real Madrid. Moreover, his Brazil record is impressive, with 20 goals in 43 games.

Some might say that this is easy, that anyone can score for Brazil. The obvious contrast is with Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus who, despite plenty of game time, has scored just once -- in stoppage time of an easy friendly -- in over four years. In 2022 alone Richarlison managed 10 goals for Brazil, including three fine strikes in the World Cup. Indeed, Brazil's Qatar campaign suffered greatly from the injury the 26-year-old was carrying in the quarterfinal against Croatia. He was not fit enough to press from the front in his usual style, and his eventual replacement Pedro is too pedestrian to press. Croatia were able to manoeuvre the ball comfortably into midfield and take the heat out of the game from there. A fully fit Richarlison might have made the difference.

In any case, a former national team coach like Postecoglou will be aware of what his No. 9 can provide. In a Brazil shirt, Richarlison has dovetailed well with his colleagues. The likes of Neymar and Lucas Paquetá have made the bullets and he has fired them. Can a similar dynamic be created in North London?

Replacing Kane was always going to be a two-man job. England's all-time record goal-scorer is simultaneously a No. 9 and a No. 10. His absence entails a separation of functions. Where once there was Kane, now roam Richarlison and James Maddison. Can the kid from Coventry and the boy from Brazil strike up an understanding? It is a fundamental question. Postecoglou's attacking approach carries its own risks: The matches are likely to be open affairs, where if the game plan is to function, Tottenham will have to attack with maximum efficiency. Tottenham's No. 9 and No. 10 are going to have to get on the same wavelength. If Maddison can build a bridge to Richarlison, then there might be some healing for some of those heartaches in the new Tottenham stadium.