Dion Dublin slams Everton duo Richarlison and Ben Godfrey on BBC MotD 2 after 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace
Dion Dublin has taken aim at Ben Godfrey and Richarlison after Crystal Palace beat Everton 3-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday (12 December).
Speaking live on BBC Match of the Day 2 (12 December) after a brace from Conor Gallagher and a goal from James Tomkins ensured Salomon Rondon’s first Everton goal proved a mere consolation, Dublin first took umbrage with Godfrey for his role in Tomkin’s effort.
“The goal is defended terribly,” he said.
“You must have your man. Godfrey has to have Tomkins at the far post. Godfrey completely loses the ball. He possibly gets unsighted but you cannot have a player behind you when you are marking four on four, you’ve got to do your job on your man and he got done by Tomkins.”
On Richarlison’s reaction to being substituted for Rondon in the second half, Dublin said: “I think it’s a bit disrespectful to the manager.”
Godfrey defensive woes
The ex-Norwich City defender was one of the bright sparks of a pretty dour 2020/21 campaign under Carlo Ancelotti last season, featuring all over the defence and proving to be a reliable performer, earning England recognition at the end of the season.
However, after recovering from COVID at the start of this term, Godfrey has failed to live up to last season’s expectations.
His explosiveness and ability to spring from defence is still a plus point, as he showed against Palace with some rapid sprints from left-back to carry the Blues forward, but it is a lack of concentration that is pulling him and the team down.
Richarlison, meanwhile, suffered an injury during the first half at Selhurst Park, leading Rafa Benitez to err on the side of caution with the Brazilian not firing on all cylinders anyway.
As expected, being the star of a team who were struggling enormously, Richarlison did not take kindly to being withdrawn from Rondon, and it’s hard to blame him, no matter what kind of knock he had.
In other Everton news, a high-profile sale is on the cards as a Champions League-winning boss wants to sign this Blues star.
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