These days you’ll get arrested and thrown in jail for doing a few kick-ups on a sunny day in Nottingham.
Or at least that’s what one might assume judging by some of the hysterical responses to Richarlison‘s ball juggling during Tottenham’s 2-0 win against Forest at the City Ground.
If you were otherwise engaged on Bank Holiday Sunday, here’s a brief synopsis of events: Richarlison came off the bench and provided a sumptuous outside-of-the-boot cross for Harry Kane to settle the contest; moments later he received a square pass from Ryan Sessegnon and flicked the ball up with the same part of his right foot before completing three kick-ups; he was then clattered by Brennan Johnson with Neco Williams landing on top of him as the ball broke free; Spurs earned a free-kick and Johnson was booked.
“That’s what you get for showboating at this level,” Martin Tyler said. “But it does wind people up,” interjected Jamie Carragher. “You can’t just go and boot people, you can’t do that but what’s he doing? He’s made a real impact since he came on and taken the game away from Nottingham Forest. The game’s won. He just winds people up that lad. He winds me up!”
Carragher has previous with the Brazilian after imploring him to “get up!” during a Merseyside derby towards the end of last season, but shared a joke and a little cuddle with him after the game on Sunday. Others, though, were seemingly less willing to forgive and forget.
Cry more
— Richarlison Andrade (@richarlison97) August 29, 2022
“I wouldn’t want my players to do that, what Richarlison did,” said a miffed Steve Cooper. “If that is accepted at Spurs that is nothing to do with me, but it wouldn’t be accepted here.”
After a round in which 30 Premier League goals were scored, Erling Haaland claimed his first match ball in England and Liverpool joined the exclusive 9-0 club, Richarlison’s “antics” seemed to be the joint-most important issue of the weekend alongside Arsenal’s exuberant celebrations after beating Fulham. At least according to Talksport.
Gabby Agbonlahor called the Spurs forward “disrespectful”, Jermaine Pennant described his keepy-uppy act as “cheap, ugly and horrible” and Darren Bent warned him to “expect the consequences” of his actions.
Over on Twitter, Dietmar Hamman was another dissenting voice. “Nothing to do with showboating. Should have been booked for unsportsmanlike conduct and restarted with free kick to Forest,” he opined. “Cry more,” came the ever-so-slightly immature, albeit amusing, response from Richarlison.
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While some defended Richarlison, including Ally McCoist and perhaps surprisingly Graeme Souness on the same radio station, the sweeping reaction was one of negativity.
By insisting that he had “no problem” with Johnson and Williams “going for” Richarlison for his act of treachery, Bent was feeding into an unhelpful – and dated – narrative that surrounds the English game; that clattering an opponent for daring to keep the ball in the air for a couple of seconds is somehow more moral than the act itself.
Imagine if Johnson’s lunge had resulted in Richarlison sustaining a serious injury. Tottenham would have lost an important player for a period of time, as would Forest with Johnson being penalised for endangering an opponent. And all for the sake of a few kick-ups in a game that was all but over.
Surely at its core football is meant to be about entertainment? Players should be encouraged to express themselves rather than forced to become joyless robots.
But there was also a point to Richarlison’s showmanship. It was done in an attempt to help see his side over the line, by wasting a few more valuable seconds. That he was fouled and earned a free-kick for his team in the process only made his time-wasting ploy more successful.
A hypothesis frequently put forward for England’s failings at international level is that they are less “streetwise” than other nations, lacking the same kind of win-at-all-costs mentality. When England ran down the clock during their Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark, eking out precious second after second, it was held up as an example of how that mindset is slowly changing.
And yet when a Brazilian delves into his box of tricks, it is seen as a heinous crime against the English game. The hypocrisy is obvious.
“He juggled with the ball, no?” a nonplussed Antonio Conte said. “It’s a game and you are under pressure. I think it’s okay. I don’t think he wanted to show disrespect to Nottingham Forest, a really good team with a great history.”
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