'Drogba scored 29, so Richarlison should target 30' - Ancelotti challenges Everton striker to improve goals output

James Westwood

'Drogba scored 29, so Richarlison should target 30' - Ancelotti challenges Everton striker to improve goals output image

Carlo Ancelotti has challenged Richarlison to improve his goals output next season, insisting 30 should be the "minimum target" for the Everton striker.

Richarlison completed a £50 million ($64m) move to Everton from Watford in July 2018, and has since established himself as a firm favourite among the Goodison Park faithful.

The 23-year-old has scored 29 goals in his first 73 appearances for the Toffees, 13 of which have come during the 2019-20 campaign.

Ancelotti won the Premier League title with Chelsea during his only previous spell in England, with Didier Drogba scoring 29 goals to fire the Blues to a third top-flight crown while also picking up the Golden Boot.

The Italian head coach says Richarlison should be aiming to beat Drogba's 2009-10 tally rather than trying to join the 20-goals-per-season club, as he looks to guide Everton back into Europe.

"I think Richarlison is wrong to say that the target will be 20," Ancelotti told Sky Sports. "The target doesn't have to be 20 for him. It should as a minimum be 30.

"I've had strikers that were able to score 60 goals in a season - it doesn't matter the name [Cristiano Ronaldo scored 61 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid in 2014/15].

"But even in England, Didier Drogba scored 29 goals in one Premier League season alone. So the target for Richarlison will be 30 - not 20."

Everton are now destined to finish outside of the top 10 for only the third time in the last 14 seasons, despite a 1-0 victory at Sheffield United last time out.

Ancelotti has overseen gradual improvement at Goodison since replacing Marco Silva in the hotseat back in December, but is well aware that the Toffees' away form remains a real cause for concern.

Speaking ahead of Everton's final day clash against Bournemouth this weekend, the former Chelsea boss added: "At home, we've done well since I've been here.

"Where we need to improve, and the players know, is away from Goodison.

"We were not good enough and this is the step we need to take next season. We need to show better knowledge and have a better identity.

"The key factor will be the continuity in the sense that we cannot be allowed to play one good game and then two that aren't good enough. It shouldn't matter if it's a home or an away game."

James Westwood