Sean Dyche faces next Everton challenge to get £25m man Beto firing for the Toffees
Everton have headed into the international break on a real high note, winning three of their last four matches in all competitions having finally begun to find the net.
The Toffees’ nine goals in the opening eight matches of the Premier League campaign are only bettered by two sides in the bottom half of England’s top flight and see them match Manchester United’s attacking output in the opening weeks of the season.
Part of that has been the return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has three goals in all competitions this season, while Jack Harrison has two goal involvements in his first two league matches since making the switch to Goodison Park from Leeds United.
Despite that upturn in goalscoring form, summer signing Beto is yet to get off the mark in the league having struggled to hit the ground running since making the summer switch from Serie A side Udinese for £25.75 million [Sky Sports, 29 August].
The 25-year-old was the most expensive addition made in an otherwise quiet summer transfer window at Goodison Park, with Sean Dyche hoping that the Portuguese forward would be able to score the goals to not only help Everton stay in the Premier League but also lighten the load on Calvert-Lewin.
But after his first five Premier League appearances, Beto’s goal tally remains at zero having failed to find the net from an xG of 1.47, having only placed one shot on target 256 minutes in England’s top flight. That means only nine per cent of his shots have tested the keeper so far [Fotmob].
Despite only starting three matches so far this season, the 25-year-old has already missed three big chances, one more than Calvert-Lewin having played only three minutes less than the Englishman in the opening months of the season.
Beto is capable of finding the net consistently, last season in Serie A he scored 10 times in 23 starts, almost matching his expected goals of 10.87 despite missing seven big chances throughout his 33 appearances.
It may well have been naive of Everton to assume that Beto was going to be the striker to come in and fire them to safety however, according to his Fbref scouting report, the Portuguese forward sits in the 11 percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, when compared to strikers in Europe’s big five leagues.
The 25-year-old’s struggles have been pushed under the radar due to the upturn of form at Goodison in recent weeks and Calvert-Lewin’s return to fitness which has seen the £25 million man reduced to little more than a support act.
Dyche has said that he has considered playing the two forwards alongside one another [Liverpool Echo, 21 September] but given his current system is providing results, can the former Burnley boss find a way to fit Beto alongside his number nine?
It could be Dyche’s next test following the international break.
In other Everton news, the Toffees could sign Kalvin Phillips if 777 Partners complete their takeover