The Richarlison / Son decision

For the last two games, we have seen Richarlison come into the side after Sonny's form continued to stutter. I was happy with this decision, as I believe it is best for the team. Here's why.

Son has obviously not been at his best this season. Wether that's due to teams becoming more weary of his qualities, and marking him out of the game, or fatigue from being so heavily relied on over the past few years. There's a few theories as to why Sonny's form has dipped but ultimately nobody knows for sure.

I am also not sure why, but a certain factor for his below par performances has been the fact that we have not been the clinical counter attacking Tottenham which we saw last season. Teams have become aware of our qualities on the break and have decided to play directly against that, by either dominating possession, or sitting deep and looking to hit us on the break, in order to prevent the game from turning into a basketball game, which suits us down to a tee.

Due to this, Sonny has not found himself running at defences anywhere near as much this season, and has consequently had his back to goal a lot of the time, which is not his strong suit. However, this is where Richarlison comes into play. The Brazilian thrives when holding the ball up. He is clever, he is able to win fouls high up the pitch, and can play some really useful passes which bring other players into the game. This is a valuable asset especially when we are playing teams like Chelsea and West Ham, where we are looking to play out from the back. Having an extra out ball is crucial, and gives the opposition something extra to think about. He also provides more of an aerial threat which could be heavily utilised in certain games, where we perhaps find ourselves having lots of chances to cross the ball.

Taking all this into account, Richarlison is a really good option for us, and adds a nice balance to our attack. If he could stay fit, he could play a vital role in our remaining games this season.

This being said, the Brazilian isn't as much of a threat when running in behind or when driving at players as a Son with his mojo in tact. Son would definitely be a more suited option when playing a team who will commit forward, like Manchester City, who he loves playing against for a reason. It would be massive for us if both of these guys could begin a rich vein of scoring form. It would be a huge plus having an extra couple of attackers full of confidence, especially with the upcoming games.

In the next games, rotation is key. It's a big few weeks in terms of our season, and we are going to need everyone, considering our injury issues.