Carlo Ancelotti wants to see ‘much better’ Richarlison amid inconsistent season for Everton

The Brazilian forward has scored a dozen goals this season - half in the league and half in the domestic cups

Shrivathsa Sridhar
Saturday 01 May 2021 06:10 EDT
Comments
Richarlison has had mitigating reasons for his uneven form, says his boss
Richarlison has had mitigating reasons for his uneven form, says his boss (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Everton’s Brazilian striker Richarlison is not consistent enough for the attacking quality that he possesses and can offer a lot more going forward, manager Carlo Ancelotti has said.

The 23-year-old has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season, half of them coming in the Premier League, but has not found the net since his winner against relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion in March.

Asked ahead of Saturday’s league clash with Aston Villa to assess Richarlison’s season, Ancelotti told a news conference: “Not so consistent for the quality he has.

“It’s acceptable that he has not been at his best. He had problems at the beginning of the season. He started well but was then suspended, travelling with the national team and then was out for personal reasons.

“From a physical viewpoint he wasn’t always at the top and this affected his technical performances. He had a good spell when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was out but can do much better next season and I hope he can do better this season as well.”

Ancelotti said Richarlison, who is hoping to play his 100th league match for the club on Saturday, does not lack motivation and is also targeting a spot in Brazil’s Olympic squad for the Tokyo Games this year.

“He’s a player with a strong motivation,” Ancelotti said. “But we must not lose sight of the fact that he’s still a young player.

“When I say he can do better, it’s not because he’s lost confidence or isn’t good enough. He’s a fantastic striker.”

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in