Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte managed to get an interview with Everton star Richarlison this week, and although there was probably a lot to talk about the important time the Toffees are going through, they’ve chosen another subject for the conversation.
With Flamengo preparing for the Clubs World Cup, the outlet wanted to know the player’s opinion on a possible final against Liverpool.
Since Richarlison used to play for Rio de Janeiro side Fluminense, he used to be a Flamengo rival, and now has a similar situation with Everton and Liverpool. That makes him one of the few people who can compare both sides.
“Of course Flamengo have to think about the semifinal first, because there are no silly teams anymore in this world. The focus has to be first on this game and then think about Liverpool. And no doubt it can happen that they win”, Richarlison told Globo Esporte.
Richarlison also talked about how good have Liverpool been under Jurgen Klopp: “From the moment you give continuity to a coach at a team, he stays for two or three years, any player who comes in knows what needs to be done. They have a very good group, a very good coach. They are having a great time, they are some of the best in Europe, and they don’t have those numbers in the Premier League for nothing.”
But he says the Reds have their flaws as well: “In this Premier League I think they couldn’t keep any clean sheet here at Anfield. They end up conceding, but end up scoring so many more because it’s a team that creates a lot of goal opportunities. When it’s just a single game anything can happen, and Flamengo, like Liverpool, have been a virtually invincible team in Brazil.”
But when asked about who he expects to win the tournament, Richarlison makes it clear he has no preference: “I don’t have to root for anyone, no. The guys there have over 30 million fans. One more, one less won’t make a difference. I’ll root for my club, I root for Everton. May they make a good game there and may the best win.”
Liverpool and Flamengo are still to know who they will be playing in the tournament’s semifinals. In case they both go through, they would face each other on December 21st in Doha.
