Marco Silva has defended Richarlison’s on-field theatrics, declaring definitively that the forward is not a diver.
The 22-year old has come under fire in recent weeks, with the Brazil international frequently accused of needlessly throwing himself to the ground, much to the chagrin of the Everton fan base.
Richarlison was denied a strong penalty claim against Tottenham when he was downed in the box by Davinson Sanchez, and many believe that Richarlison’s reputation prevented him from getting a fair shake on that occasion.
However, Silva has backed the man he brought to Goodison Park, declaring that he cannot be a diver as he has doesn’t have single yellow card for simulation to his name.
Talking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Southampton on Saturday, when asked about Richarlison’s reputation, Silva said of the forward:
Richarlison is not a diver, at all. At all. Richarlison has zero yellow cards in the Premier League for diving. Zero. That is a fact.
Zero yellow cards, that means he is not diving at all.
How many free kicks on him have been free kicks? Even two penalties on him, and zero penalties [were given].
But yellow cards for diving? Zero again.
Read Everton Verdict
Marco Silva has got this one all wrong, but he knows what he is doing. Silva doesn’t honestly believe that you can only be a diver if you are punished for simulation, because so many players get away with murder on a weekly basis.
Richarlison is a serial diver, or at the very least, someone who is overly sensitive and who hits the deck at the drop of a hat. This is often to the detriment of Everton, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Silva was choosing to defend Richarlison publicly while quietly man managing the Brazilian to control that tendency.
Still though, it does make Silva seem either untrustworthy or clueless. Either Silva cannot see that Richarlison regularly dives, which is ridiculous, or he is choosing to keep his real thoughts secret, which isn’t exactly as honest as some would hope he would be.
Either way, Richarlison dives for sure, and Everton need to eradicate that from his game before it gets in the way more than it is already doing now.
Comments.
Loading comments…