Could Richarlison become Everton’s new talisman this season?
Richarlison arrived at Everton for a fee of £40million from Watford this summer. That is a lot of money for a 21-year-old but the Brazilian seems to be unfazed by it. He started well in the pre-season, scoring once against Rennes. But Premier League football is a different gravy altogether.
Playing in the Premier League is not something new for Richarlison as he was bought by Watford from Fluminense in the summer of 2017. He was an unknown name then but under Marco Silva’s leadership, he took the English top-flight by storm. In his first 15 matches, the player scored 5 goals and assisted 4 more. But when the youngster hit his peak, Silva was sacked by Watford. Since then, he never looked the same again.
However, the player has certainly answered all of his critics with his strong performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux stadium.
He scored a sensational brace to rescue a point for the Toffees. The first one was a brilliant poacher’s goal which came via a Leighton Baines free-kick, followed by an absolute screamer. The youngster’s chemistry with Cenk Tosun was brilliant as the Turkish striker assisted Richarlison with a quick combination play on his second goal.
But it was not just Richarlison’s goals that were impressive. It was his overall work rate that spoke volumes. He recorded a pass success rate of 77%, completed 2 dribbles and played 2 successful long balls. He constantly tried to free up spaces on the left-hand channel and was often involved in a tussle with Matt Doherty, the Wolves’ right wing-back.
Richarlison gave Doherty a torrid time on the left flank, winning 5 of his aerial duels. In addition, he also showed his desire to drop back and help his team in the defence by winning all 3 of his attempted tackles.
According to Telegraph, Silva spoke highly of the former Watford player,
“He showed fantastic workrate, fantastic behavior, he’s a fantastic talent and he’s showed he can score at any moment. He scored two goals which is fantastic but it’s important that he works hard again. I don’t have doubts. Even when he doesn’t score he works really hard to help his team. I’m sure the fans will be proud of him. He did very well. He worked hard, which is what I expect from him.”
As if this performance was not enough to win the Toffees’ hearts, he stopped near the away stand after the match and handed over his jersey to a young fan.
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In Richarlison, Everton have an exciting Brazilian who can raise Goodison Park’s roof this season. But they also need to understand that he is just 21 and there will be times when his form will drop. If he remains fit, however, Everton’s dream of a top-six finish might turn into a reality.