“It would not be accepted here” — Steve Cooper slams Richarlison’s showboating against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has criticised Richarlison’s decision to showboat during Tottenham’s 2-0 Premier League win at the City Ground on Sunday.
Antonio Conte’s men collected three points in the East Midlands over the weekend, though their triumph proved anything but drama-free, with several high-profile incidents throughout the match giving it an extra layer of spice.
Harry Kane broke the deadlock early on, before squandering from spot after the restart as Dean Henderson saved his penalty kick in the second half. The England international would complete his brace 10 minutes from time to surpass Andy Cole in the all-time Premier League scoring charts, but it was Richarlison at the forefront of the post-match analysis.
The mercurial Brazil forward entered the fray late on and provided a delectable trivela assist to tee up Kane, but minutes later he began to perform keepy-ups while uncontested on the flank, leading to Brennan Johnson steaming in and taking him out.
Jamie Carragher, who was on punditry duty for Sky Sports, was audibly unimpressed by Richarlison’s seemingly ‘disrespectful’ antics at the time, and he doubled down on his view in the aftermath, posting on social media that the Brazilian’s showboating was “daft”.
It doesn’t matter what we all think of the #Richarlison showboating, it’s what the opposition think. They thought it was taking the p**s and tried to take him out. You can’t condone that but the worst that happens is a red card, for Spurs it’s a bad injury. That’s why it’s daft.
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) August 29, 2022
Forest manager Cooper also gave his two cents on the incident, saying that he would not ‘accept’ what Richarlison did from any of his players during a match.
“I would not want my players to do that; to do what Richarlison did,” Cooper said.
“But if that is acceptable at Spurs, it is nothing to do with me. But it would not be accepted here, that is for sure.”
The father of academy superstar Johnson, David, also made his thoughts loud and clear following the fiery contest, which saw his son booked for executing the foul on Richarlison.
“No one comes to the City Ground and takes the p***,” Johnson Sr. wrote on Twitter after the final whistle sounded at the City Ground.
Despite the stick Richarlison received, Spurs boss Conte was quick to defend his summer signing, insisting that he never meant to disrespect Forest by showboating mid-game.
He explained: “I think he juggled with the ball. It is a game and you are under pressure.
“I repeat it is OK. I don’t think Richy wanted to show disrespect to Nottingham Forest.
“Forest are a really good team with a great history in football and we have a great respect. Richy for sure thinks in the same way. Not disrespectful for anyone and I can tell you this.
