Everton statistician Gavin Buckland has identified a key element of Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s game that needs improving.
The Toffees forward has been in fine goalscoring form this season, having scored 20 times in all competitions for the first time in his career.
Despite this though he has struggled to maintain a consistent level in recent months, having scored just four of his 15 Premier League goals since the New Year.
Speaking on the Liverpool Echo’s Royal Blue Podcast, Buckland described the main facet of Calvert-Lewin’s game that the the player needs to work on.
Buckland said: “I think Calvert-Lewin’s main weakness, and he’s got a couple to work on, is creating chances for himself. That’s what the best strikers do. I don’t think it’s enough these days as a striker to just be a finisher, you have to do more work.
“Calvert-Lewin I think needs to do more work in terms of creating more for himself. He tried to do that for himself in the second half and I think it led to a shot that ended up by the corner flag.
“Harry Kane is a great player, and I’m not saying Calvert-Lewin is in his class, but do you see how many goals he scores that he’s created himself? Where he’s picked up the ball, has maybe gone past one defender and fired it into the bottom corner.
“Calvert-Lewin is not really made up like that. So, if you’re not getting service, the top strikers are still able to create chances themselves.”
Can’t rely on service
Calvert-Lewin is and always have been a player who thrives off service, and he bases his entire play style around that, so Buckland is dead on to call for more creativity from the Everton forward.
The former Sheffield United man has demonstrated strength, pace and strong hold up ability on numerous occasions, but he still requires service in order to score, with many of his goals this season coming from a poacher’s position.
Against Aston Villa, Calvert-Lewin found himself ineffective for large stretches of the game, and that comes down to the fact that he was missing James Rodriguez, but Everton can’t afford to find themselves in a position where one player’s absence restricts their goalscoring ability.
Calvert-Lewin did get on the scoresheet, with that goal coming from an excellent Lucas Digne cross, and that once again underscores the importance of good service in the forward’s game.
Calvert-Lewin has been labelled many things this season, with Garth Crooks calling him “phenomenal” before the turn of the year, but we need him to be much more consistent.
We need to see him work harder to create his own fortune, and that will in turn see him become a more well-rounded and dependable striker.
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