Everton caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson has been urged to field Richarlison at striker when Frank Lampard’s Chelsea travel to Goodison Park for the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
The Stamford Bridge outfit will be the first opposition we face in the post-Marco Silva era, after the Portuguese was relieved of command on Thursday night after losing 5-2 to Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby.
Wednesday’s defeat at Anfield saw the club slip back inside the Premier League relegation places after Southampton edged a 2-1 win over 19th-placed Norwich City, and will face Chelsea 15 points down on the South West London outfit.
Everton beat Chelsea the last time the two sides faced each other, with goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson ensuring Silva triumphed over a Maurizio Sarri Blues side at Goodison Park.
Chelsea have not won at Goodison since April 2017, with what was their only win in the Londoner’s last five trips to the blue half of Merseyside.
If Ferguson is to make Chelsea’s record at Goodison one win in their last six visits, the Express have urged our former striker to make Richarlison the focal point of his plans.
The newspaper suggest our interim boss has to be bold with his team selection on Saturday, if he is to end our three-game winless streak and take what will only be our second league win on home soil since the end of September.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s unconvincing efforts at striker have sparked the Express’ view, and feel Richarlison would be a more preferable alternative with Alex Iwobi and Bernard field on either wing.
Who should Ferguson start at striker vs Chelsea?
Calvert-Lewin
Moise Kean
Richarlison
Cenk Tosun
Richarlison has started three Premier League games in a centre-forward role this season, with outings in the middle against West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur. The 22-year-old star failed to score against either, but penned his second – and most recent – assist of the campaign at the London Stadium.
Three of the Brazilian’s five league goals for the term have come in his last four games, each of which being played from the left-wing, following a brace from the right against Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 1.
Our now former boss Silva had tasked Richarlison with playing at striker 13 times in all competitions last season, the joint-most amount of any position. He also penned five of his 14 goals for the term in the role, to six from the left and three on the right.
In other Everton news, fans have been reacting to reports on the managerial situation at Goodison Park following Farhad Moshiri sacking Silva.