Under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou, not only Richarlison’s confidence improved, but also his work speed and imagination.
Three weeks ago there was talk of Richarlison drinking in Tottenham Hotspur’s last-chance lounge.
That always seemed premature, given that he was struggling for form, fitness and confidence before Ange Postecoglou’s time, but you could see the point: £60m for two league goals is nobody’s idea of value.
Now, with the Son Heung-Min Asian Cup on the horizon and three goals in two games, Richarlison will be the de facto leader of an attacking line that is looking to regain a place in the top four, and that is no cause for widespread fear.
Last season, he was delivering the strikes at the City Ground and rival fans joked that it was the highlight of Richarlison’s season. This one might be even better.
Postecoglou was keen to point out that there were several mitigating factors.
“When I first came here, everything was a bit difficult for him,” the Spurs manager said in the build-up to Friday’s game at Forest.
“You could see that he couldn’t play or move as freely as he wanted to and he was kind of struggling with things.
“Since he’s come back, when you see him in training and even before the game at the weekend, he feels more like himself in terms of what he can do physically.”
In a week after Richarlison scored three goals, that’s a very easy answer, but he clearly looks different.
It’s not just behaviour – nothing looks sadder than a confident striker slogging through his professional life.
Richarlison sprinted more and found pockets of space he didn’t dare to jump into last season. Son will undoubtedly be missed, but if it means Richarlison has the honour of carrying the responsibility while he’s away, it could work out perfectly.