Souness issues verdict on Richarlison’s showboating in Spurs win

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Graeme Souness has told talkSPORT (broadcast on 29/8; 10:36) that he would never want to see Richarlison’s showboating if he was the Tottenham star’s manager, but admitted that he did similar during his own playing days.

Harry Kane may have scored twice to earn Spurs a 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. But much of the discussion following the game was concerning Richarlison.

The Brazilian produced both the sublime and the ridiculous during his brief cameo. He was criticised for an embarrassing dive. But he also produced one of the best assists you will see all season to set up the clincher for Kane.

The most controversial moment meanwhile, came when he flicked the ball and started doing keepy-uppies as Spurs looked to see the game out.

Brennan Johnson clearly took exception to that and completely wiped the forward out. And it seems that many of the Forest fans were only too happy with the Welshman.

Steve Cooper said afterwards that he would not want a Forest player to showboat like that. Meanwhile, Conte defended his player.

Souness suggested that he would not be happy if he was the 25-year-old’s manager. But he noted that he would be a hypocrite to be too harsh on Richarlison.

However, there was a late jibe aimed at the Spurs star when asked if he was a big player.

“As a manager, I never want to see it, you don’t want to see it. It’s not nice, but I’ve done it. It’s showing disrespect. But when you’re young and full of yourself, sometimes you forget what you’re instructed to do,” he told talkSPORT.

“Every Spurs supporter in that stadium yesterday would have said: ‘look at us, we’re back. We’re showing a bit of, not character, arrogance’. If you aspire to be a big player, you cannot aspire to be a big player without a certain amount of arrogance.

“No, not in my eyes,” he replied when then asked if he was a big player.

Souness issues verdict on Richarlison’s showboating

Of course, Forest are going to be annoyed. They were heading for a defeat in a game where they really threatened to get something.

They may have been even more offended given that the margin of victory was not large.

But it seems absolutely bizarre to discuss whether showboating should be a yellow card offence. It was a brilliant moment in a superb cameo that simply summed up why Richarlison is divisive.

And he will have absolutely no problem shutting out of any of the strong criticism coming his way.