It’s been an interesting start to the Premier League season for Everton this year.
Sean Dyche’s side have picked up nine points in as many games, and while there have been some woeful collapses along the way, things are starting to look up, as demonstrated by last night’s hard-fought draw.
The Toffees were not anywhere near their best and, on another day, may well have lost, but as Dyche sides have so often in the past, they just about stayed in the contest and got their rewards with a late equaliser.
They’re not going to fire the Merseysiders to a European place or anything like that, but the club’s attackers are more than good enough to keep them out of a drawn-out relegation scrap, and as last night showed, they may now have their own Jhon Duran-esque secret weapon.
Everton's most important attackers
Okay, so before we get to this new secret weapon, let’s look at a couple of Everton’s most important attackers, starting with the incredible Dwight McNeil.
It’s been an interesting couple of years for the 24-year-old following his £20m move from Burnley, as in his first two campaigns with the club, he could only muster up a mediocre return of ten goals and ten assists in 80 games, equating to an average of a goal involvement once every four games.
However, this season has seen the Rochdale-born dynamo explode, and in his 11 appearances so far, he’s scored four goals and provided three assists, meaning his average has shot up to a goal involvement every 1.57 games, and making his injury-induced-substitution against the Cottagers particularly worrying.
Now, when it comes to the club’s second most important attacker at present, there are two players fans might put forward: Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Illiman Ndiaye. So far, the former has scored two goals and provided one assist in nine centre-forward appearances, totalling 767 minutes, while the latter has scored three goals in 11 appearances, mainly off the left, totalling 825 minutes.
So, when it comes to picking between the pair, the Englishman has a slightly better return of a goal involvement every 255 minutes to the Frenchman’s average of one every 275 minutes, but has so from an area that should see him in more positions to score and assist goals.
Appearances
9
11
Minutes
767′
825′
Goals
2
3
Assists
1
0
Goal Involvements per Match
0.33
0.27
Minutes per Goal Involvement
255′
275′
Either way, both Calvert-Lewin and Ndiaye are undeniably crucial to Dyche’s starting lineup, and now it looks like one of their fellow attackers could have a vital role to play off the bench, akin to Aston Villa’s Duran.
Why Beto could become Everton's Duran
Yes, the attacker we are talking about is none other than last summer’s £30m man Beto, and no, before the pitchforks come out, we are not trying to say that the Portuguese ace is as good, nor as promising as Duran, that would be ever so slightly reactionary.
Instead, we are merely suggesting that, based on how he has been used by Dyche, the manager’s preference to start Calvert-Lewin ahead of him, and the impact he had last night, he could be used similarly to the Villa ace as a super-sub.
Now, while the Colombian international has been rightfully grabbing headlines all season for his brilliant displays, most of them have come off the bench, and with Ollie Watkins leading the line, it’ll likely stay that way.
For example, of his 13 appearances for Unai Emery’s side, only two have been starts, and of the seven goals he has scored, only two have come in games he’s started, highlighting that his biggest strength at the moment is being an impact player.
This same tactic could be Beto’s route back into the team as well, as despite coming on for just nine minutes against Fulham, he was the one to head home the equaliser, and given the “powerful” striker’s 6 foot 4 height, as dubbed by Dyche, he could develop into a mightily effective impact player.
The manager could turn to him in moments like last night to come on and use his physical presence to disrupt opposing defenders, and even if he’ll likely never prove as prolific as Duran, he could become a go-to option off the bench for Dyche, just like the Colombian is for Emery.
Dyche must finally drop Everton ace with fewer touches than Pickford
Dyche must finally drop Everton forward with fewer touches than Pickford
ByDan EmeryOct 27, 2024