Carlo Ancelotti believes Everton’s midfielders can improve but insists the quality is there in the club’s ranks. The Italian addressed specific questions on Gylfi Sigurdsson, whose performances have come in for criticism this season and in recent weeks. But the Italian manager has backed the Icelandic midfielder and says that he is more suited to playing a more defensive role and he is happy with his performances so far. Ancelotti also spoke about Richarlison and how he sees the striker developing in the upcoming seasons.
Carlo Ancelotti said “I think, with his quality, to play a defensive role is easier. Behind you have more space compared to if you’re playing as a number 10. It’s the easiest way to play with the quality of Sigurdsson. I’m satisfied with his performances, he hasn’t played every game from the start but it was only for the fact he was not 100% fit. He had a fever during the lockdown and it has taken time for him to recover properly. I think he’s [Richarlison] a player you cannot put a target on. He’s a fantastic player, of course 20 goals is the minimum but I expect more from him. He’s still young but he has a lot of quality, a lot of character. As I said yesterday he’s really cool in front of goal and I think every one of us is happy to have this kind of striker. I think he’s going to improve and he is improving, because he’s still young. With experience and more knowledge he can improve his qualities. He’s complete because he’s comfortable in the box, he’s comfortable outside the box, he’s comfortable in the counter attack. He can play on the right, on the left, in front – he’s a really, really good player for us.”
