Sky Sports pundit backs Neal Maupay despite criticism over Everton form
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Neal Maupay offers a different threat to Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Everton, that could help the club overcome their attacking issues, says Kevin Campbell.
The England striker is out injured again, meaning Frank Lampard will have to turn to the summer signing from Brighton in attack to face Bournemouth again, but after a goal early in his time at Goodison he has had little impact, with former Toffee Micheal Ball criticising with the fact he didn’t know what the Frenchman is good at this week.
But Campbell, a Sky Sports pundit, has backed the 26-year-old and feels that the fact his teammates will have to play to feet because he is smaller than the man he is replacing could mean the style of play improves after recent toothless displays.
“Yeah, I like Maupay,” he said, speaking exclusively to Goodison News.
“But here’s the difference. With Calvert-Lewin they can afford to bypass midfield sometimes because you can hit him and then play off the front.
“With Maupay you can’t do that because of his size. You have to play into him in a certain way to get the best out of him.
“It’s just about understanding that part of it where you can’t knock big balls to him because he’s short, so that’s going to be dominated by the defence.
“I just think Everton are going to have to change the way they attack. And it might actually suit Everton to change that mode of attack, to play to feet.”
Maupay played all or most of the first five league games he featured in for the club, and netted his only goal in that time, the winner against West Ham on 18 September, which isn’t sparkling but not an appalling return.
In the past four Premier League outings he has featured for less than half an hour each time, so while his impact has vanished of late, it has to be put into the context of Lampard heavily turning to favour his star striker who was fit for once.
Maupay didn’t do enough in the Carabao Cup defeat in midweek, as one of many players who didn’t take their opportunity to impress the manager, but he is one who will likely get another chance on Saturday (12 November), and with the Toffees struggling to create enough recently a change of style could be what they need.