Ancelotti compares Sigurdsson to Kaka following Everton draw v Spurs
Carlo Ancelotti has compared Gylfi Sigurdsson to former AC Milan and Real Madrid superstar Kaka following his performance for Everton against Tottenham.
The Iceland international scored twice against Spurs on Friday, the first from the penalty spot and the second with a smart half volley following a slick team movement from the Blues.
Though James Rodriguez has received the lion’s share of praise following an impressive performance of his own, Sigurdsson was equally as impactful, linking up superbly with the Colombian throughout.
The 31-year old capped off a confident display with a fine strike which, although put on a plate for him by Seamus Coleman, still required plenty of finesse to finish as emphatically as Sigurdsson managed.
Following the game, Everton boss Ancelotti was very complimentary of Sigurdsson’s second goal, comparing him to former World Cup winner Kaka, who Ancelotti managed at AC Milan.
Ancelotti drew the comparison, saying: “Quite similar, but Kaka scored with his right foot.
“It was a fantastic goal. A fantastic cross and fantastic combination with Seamus Coleman who had only been on for 60 seconds.
“It was really good and, apart from this, the performance and decisions of Gylfi were really good.”
Complimentary indeed
To be compared with someone such as Kaka in any way, shape or form should be considered a major compliment.
Previously described as ‘unstoppable‘, Kaka’s biggest successes came early in his career, winning the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Champions League under Ancelotti in 2007.
Ancelotti drawing such comparisons speaks volumes for how well Sigurdsson played against Jose Mourinho’s side, in a performance that saw him set a number of season-best personal stats.
According to WyScout, Sigurdsson had more shots [4] against Tottenham than he had managed in any other Premier League game this season, as well as the most touches in the penalty area [4], most passes to the penalty area [4], the highest expected goals figure [1.01] and the joint most shot assists [4] of the campaign.
Though Sigurdsson has often proven to be a divisive figure on Merseyside he notably stepped up against Spurs, and that’s exactly what we wanted to see from him.
It’s a shame poor defending prevented his contributions from being rewarded with three points.
In other Everton news, Blues defender wanted by high-flying club but Brands sets £17m+ demand.
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