View: Tactical Everton switch could bring the best out of Richarlison
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed his worst fears have come true and Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewis has suffered a hamstring injury.
Speaking ahead of Everton’s game against Wolves, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, Ancelotti confirmed the striker will miss out.
He also revealed that Richarlison is a doubt, but a decision will be made on the forward closer to the game.
Should the Brazilian be passed fit for the game, it is highly likely that we could see him lead the line for the Toffees in place of Calvert-Lewin.
With just one goal in his last 10 appearances for the club, a change of position could bring the best out of the forward.
In the Premier League this season, Richarlison is averaging less than one pass into the final third per 90 minutes, as per Wyscout.
His struggles out wide have been clear to see – the winger has been successful in just 64 per cent of his dribbles in the Premier League and just 23 per cent of his crosses have been accurate.
Taking away some of that responsibility out way could simplify the player’s game somewhat and allow him to flourish in the final third.
Richarlison is more than familiar with playing a central position and he did so on several occasions last season.
This season too, the Brazilian has played centrally on a handful of occasions – most notable against Tottenham and Leicester, according to Wyscout.
It was recently suggested by Michael Ball in the Liverpool Echo that Richarlison was ‘trying too hard’ and needed to go back to basics in order to rediscover his best form.
That is exactly what Ancelotti can do by moving him into a more central role and potentially open up more goalscoring opportunities for a player clearly lacking confidence.
With Calvert-Lewin sidelined, it is a short-term fix that could result in an improved Richarlison in the long run.
In other Everton news, Worrying Toffees stat highlights one key problem that Ancelotti needs to fix