‘He is moody’: Tottenham told 26-year-old didn’t want to start against Fulham

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Neil Lennon has suggested that Richarlison didn’t want to start for Tottenham Hotspur during their EFL Cup defeat to Fulham. 

Ange Postecoglou’s side were knocked out of the League Cup at Craven Cottage, with Richarlison, who is yet to score in the Premier League this season, getting on the scoresheet.

But former Celtic manager Lennon thinks Postecoglou played the struggling Tottenham star to ‘get him into the goals’, but he feels the player would have been ‘moody’ that he had to play against Fulham, as he told Soccer Special on Sky Sports (29/08/23 at 7:25 pm). 

There were a lot of shots fired at Spurs after they were knocked out, with many questioning why nine changes were made.

Whilst Marco Silva also rotated his squad, he only made five changes and it showed because, during the 90 minutes, his team were the better side. 

Nonetheless, with Postecoglou making so many changes, Lennon reacted to Richarlison being the one to stay put in the XI from the win at Bournemouth.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a show of faith (from Postecoglou to start Richarlison),” said Lennon. “I think it’s probably to get him into the goals, get him playing and his confidence going.

“Maybe not so much his confidence because he seems a confident type. He is moody. He might be (moody at having to play against Fulham) and if he is, and sulks again, then Ange will have a decision to make.”

Should Richarlison start against Burnley?

Spurs need the next game to come as soon as possible because fans haven’t taken too kindly to losing to Fulham – there was even a wild suggestion made about Daniel Levy after the match.

It’s a trip to newly-promoted Burnley next, who are yet to pick up a point and will be eager to pounce on Tottenham’s recent morale-sapping loss.

Does Richarlison start? His performances haven’t deserved it, but at the end of the day, he has just scored a goal, so now is the time to use that to try and get him going.