Micah Richards gives his thoughts on Wilson Odobert’s latest display for Tottenham vs Newcastle

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Against Newcastle United on Sunday, Ange Postecoglou once again decided to deploy Wilson Odobert in his forward line, substituting for the injured Dominic Solanke.

However, the Tottenham manager did opt to be more conservative in midfield, he decided against playing Yves Bissouma as a single-pivot once again, opting to replace Brennan Johnson with Pape Matar Sarr.

Perhaps that was also a result of Micky van de Ven’s absence – Spurs’ back-line needed a bit more shielding than usual.

And whilst Postecoglou was impressed with Radu Dragusin, there were also a few underwhelming performances in a Tottenham shirt, on what proved to be another disappointing away trip for Spurs.

Cristian Romero was labelled a ‘mad man’ for his role in Newcastle’s opening goal, and after impressing against Everton, Odobert didn’t deliver his best display either.

Micah Richards thought Wilson Odobert failed to build upon his Everton performance

Speaking on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast, Micah Richards spoke about Odobert, saying the £25m winger underwhelmed this time out, but also stressed that it’s not time for Spurs to panic, saying it’s important to keep an eye on the bigger picture.

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Richards said: “I wouldn’t be concerned, I would be frustrated is more the word I would use. I think in terms of wide areas, Alan mentioned it before, Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, getting into some really good positions.

“Odobert, I thought he played really well last week. Not so well in today’s game. Solanke gets injured.

“Van de Ven picks up a little injury. They’re just nearly there, they always seem to be nearly there.

“But they’ve made a lot of progress, if you consider where they were before Postecoglou joined.”

Dominic Solanke will be crucial in upcoming north London derby

Given their early frustration on the road, Tottenham will appreciate how important the upcoming north London derby is already.

Fortunately, Spurs should have both Dominic Solanke and Van de Ven back fit for the tie – two crucial performers.

Although Solanke has only been at the club for a short period, it’s already clear in his one performance that he offers something different, an important focal point for the side.

Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min often swapped places centrally against Newcastle, but it still felt as if something was missing.

And as much as Van de Ven was missed, who’s been so reliable since he signed, Solanke’s presence was arguably missed even more, despite only being 90 minutes into his Spurs career.