Carlo Ancelotti revealed at the start of the season that he was calling upon Dominic Calvert-Lewin to try and emulate Filippo Inzaghi with his one-touch finishes but has now outlined how Everton’s number nine is actually better than the legendary Italian striker in several aspects of his game.
A classic goal poacher, Inzaghi was a prolific marksman for Juventus and AC Milan with Ancelotti reckoning that some 210 of the player’s 300 career goals came from single touches.
While the Blues boss believes that such ‘fox in the box’ qualities are hard to teach, he reckons that when it comes to physical attributes, Calvert-Lewin, who has scored 13 goals for Everton so far this season actually has a significant advantage.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s show ‘Between the Lines’ which airs on BT Sport’s YouTube channel, Ancelotti said: “Calvert-Lewin is improving a lot.
“I don’t want to say ‘has improved’, he is improving because I think he didn’t reach his best level in my opinion.
“I don’t see Inzaghi in him because he has a different structure and different characteristics.
“Calvert-Lewin is faster. Calvert-Lewin is better with the head. Calvert-Lewin is stronger than him.
“If Inzaghi listens to this he will kill me!
“But I have to say, Inzaghi in the box was the best striker that I ever had.
“I think this is natural instinct. He can be dangerous like Inzaghi in the box, for sure.
“He is faster than any defender, he jumps higher than any defender.
“It is a question of movement and details. He has to be focused and he is. He is focused in the box.”
Ancelotti also explained how he is reluctant to tie down James Rodriguez to a fixed position having snapped up the Colombian playmaker for the third time in his career with a summer move to Everton from Real Madrid.
He said: “For him it is difficult to lose one ball or to miss one pass.
“I don’t want to give him a special position on the pitch.
“I want to give him more freedom, he has to take a right centre position on the pitch but he has more freedom because he helps the team in possession.
“We have to balance the team and usually we balance the team having five players to attack and five players to defend.
“I like players who are able to play in between the lines.”
Further episodes of Rio Ferdinand’s Between The Lines will be released over the coming weeks and will be available to watch on the BT Sport YouTube channel, Twitter, Facebook and at BTSport.com
