It was a forgettable weekend for Manchester United who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat away to Everton. Coming into the clash, the Merseysiders were on a run of just one win in six matches, the most recent of which was a morale-shattering 3-2 defeat away to Burnley.
Yet in Saturday’s lunchtime clash, despite having played less than 72 hours earlier, Frank Lampard’s side outworked and outfought Ralf Rangnick’s men, again raising internal scrutiny about just how committed this United side actually are when it comes to digging deep and trying to win football matches.
In contrast, the commitment of the hosts couldn’t be faulted, and one of the Everton players who really impressed on this front was forward Richarlison. He proved a constant nuisance for the United defence and played with a confidence opposite to that of what you’d expect from a player leading the line for a team sitting fourth from bottom in the table.
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Poor recruitment over recent years at Goodison Park has meant that there are very few Everton players who you could argue have the potential to be elite. However, Richarlison is one of the exceptions.
Since arriving in England in 2017, the forward has scored 44 Premier League goals while registering a further 17 assists. Only six of those goals have arrived this season, however, Everton’s issues going forward have undoubtedly been a factor behind his own attacking struggles.
Everton have the fourth-lowest possession average in the league this season, meaning Richarlison is often tasked with doing a lot of defensive duties without the ball rather than being able to focus on attacking actions with it. He’s averaged 9.48 pressures in the attacking third this season.
For comparison, Marcus Rashford has averaged the most of any attacker at United with an average of just 6.70 per 90. His capacity to offer so much without the ball is a plus, though there’s been an over-reliance on him in this regard at Goodison Park.
That defensive dependency is alleviated when on international duty with Brazil, and it’s no coincidence that he netted three goals across just two appearances for Selecao in last month’s international break. Beyond goals, there’s so much to like about Richarlison’s profile. He’s an unpredictable dribbler who offers a threat not only on the floor but also in the air. This is in part why he can play either as a wide man or through the middle as a striker. And at Everton, he’ll regularly be switched between the two.
On paper, the Brazilian hasn’t really got a CV that would appeal to United. However, his drive and raw talent should. Furthermore, the club’s recent transfer activity can hardly be described as a roaring success and it seems guaranteed that a change in approach will come in the summer.
Some of United’s rivals, Liverpool for example, have been a step ahead in this regard. Rarely do they chase established names from fellow big European clubs and instead chase budding prospects who have the potential to scale up their output when playing for a better team.
The Anfield club signed Diogo Jota from Wolves, Sadio Mane from Southampton, Mohamed Salah from Roma and Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, all of whom have gone on to be a huge success for Jurgen Klopp's side. Richarlison has all the traits to suggest he is capable of something similar at United.
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