The Liverpool Echo’s head of sport David Prentice has been airing a possible “strategy” from Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho against Everton.
When the two sides met on Monday night, a Michael Keane own goal was enough to seal a 1-0 victory for Spurs and consign the Toffees to defeat (per BBC).
There were disappointing player ratings all round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, too, as only three players scored above a 6/10 performance rating – two of which were substitutes (per Liverpool Echo).
However, in one of the latest episodes of Royal Blue: The Everton FC Podcast, Prentice aired one thing which may have been a “strategy” of Mourinho that cost Everton the game.
He said: “You can’t just group them all into one big group and say, ‘Yes, they were all going through the motions’, because clearly there are some players in that squad who it means an awful lot to.
“I highlight Richarlison especially, who gives absolutely everything every game and they seemed to be taking it in turns to foul him last night [on Monday].
“It was almost like a Jose Mourinho strategy: ‘You foul him this minute, you foul him next. He’s their danger man. If you keep him quiet, we’re halfway there.’
“Well, they did – and unfortunately there weren’t enough people to step up to the plate beyond that.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, it seems that Prentice believes that it was Mourinho’s plan to target the Everton attacker to nullify his threat.
Do you believe that Jose Mourinho purposely targeted Richarlison on Monday?
Yes, it was clear to see
No, there's no chance
Seen as though the Brazilian has been Everton’s best-performing player in the league this season with a stellar 7.28/10 average rating (per WhoScored), it is clear to see why Spurs’ manager may have picked him out.