View: Pressure on for Richarlison as Tottenham fixture demands his influence
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Everton could see the return of four players when they host Tottenham on Friday, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t one of them.
That’s a big blow as we go in search of an elusive win.
Jordan Pickford, Andre Gomes, Josh King and Allan are all available to feature against Spurs, but Calvert-Lewin is set to remain on the sidelines for one more week with an abductor issue.
That could mean that Richarlison is set to retain his position as Everton’s lone forward, with King unlikely to earn his first start against Jose Mourinho’s men.
Should Richarlison continue to spearhead Everton’s attacking line, the Brazilian will face plenty of pressure after having failed to impress in recent weeks, despite being labelled the ‘complete‘ player by Ancelotti recently.
Against Crystal Palace, much like Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison failed to convert a number of gilt-edged chances, resulting in Everton drawing with the Eagles.
Though he wasn’t so fallible in front of goal against Brighton last week, Richarlison’s impact on the game was rarely felt with the forward often getting isolated up front, leaving Everton to suffer through the loss of his energy and work rate in midfield.
Ancelotti will be putting Richarlison under more pressure by handing him the goalscoring reigns against Spurs, but Mourinho’s side are going through a rough patch at this moment in time.
Tottenham lost to Manchester United in their most recent Premier League fixture, but before that they could only manage a draw with struggling Newcastle.
Everton of course have been suffering rotten form of their own, but Richarlison should be buoyed knowing that Tottenham’s backline is there for the taking if he can stand up and be counted.
With 12 goals in all competitions for the Toffees this season, Richarlison’s goalscoring record is proof that Everton need not rely entirely on Calvert-Lewin, and he must continue to prove that he is a player worth counting on.
Everton need to beat Tottenham as they continue their pursuit of European football, and while Richarlison won’t be the sole player tasked with delivering success on Friday, his contribution to the cause would put Everton on the right path.
In other Everton news, an ‘outstanding’ star is keen on signing for Everton as Marcel Brands is given price to seal big deal.
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