Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte has told Football.London that he had doubts over playing Richarlison alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in attack.
Richarlison moved to Tottenham from Premier League rivals Everton in the summer transfer window.
Conte did not start the Brazil international forward in his Tottenham team immediately.
And the Tottenham boss has now admitted that it was because he was not sure if 25-year-old Brazilian could play alongside Kane and Son and be effective.
Antonio Conte on Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison
Conte said: “I think when we play with three strikers, you have to know that your type of game is more direct. Not with a lot of possession because you have three strikers, only two midfielders.
“On one side, you control the game less but on another side you know you have three strikers with Sonny, Harry and Richarlison. With the rest of the team, we have to put them in the best situation to score.
“Honestly, at the start, I had some doubts about the balance to put three strikers like Richy, Harry and Sonny, because you know very well you have to attack, but at the same time it’s important to have a good balance if you want to be competitive.
“At the start I had some doubts to put them altogether, but then when it happened, I had always a great answer about Richy, Sonny and Kane because we are talking about three strikers, but three strikers who work a lot for the team.
“This is why I think we can play with these three strikers because they give us a lot of potentiality offensively, but at the same time, defensively, we have a good balance.”
Important player for Spurs
In our opinion, Richarlison has now established himself as an important player for Tottenham Hotspur.
The Brazilian is showing how good he can be, both in the Premier League and in the UEFA Champions League.
The 25-year-old Brazil international forward has made three starts and five substitute appearances in the Premier League for Spurs so far this season.
The former Watford star has given two assists in those matches.
Richarlison has also scored two goals in four UEFA Champions League games for Tottenham so far this campaign.
The forward will be a big player for Tottenham to their quest to be successful in the Premier League and in the UEFA Champions League this season.
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