Sean Dyche must axe ‘Careless’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin in Everton change
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was subjected to one of his most scathing reviews of the season during a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City for Everton.
Up against the current Premier League champions, the 26-year-old managed just 27 touches, keeping a 27 per cent pass accuracy and winning a desperately low 44 per cent of aerial duels. [FotMob]
Due to Man City’s dominance on the ball, the Toffees’ main outlet was through Calvert-Lewin, expecting to win the aerial battles, keeping the ball close to his body, and bringing his teammates into the attack.
Speaking on TNT Sport on Saturday (10 February, 1:28pm), Rio Ferdinand was particularly critical of him, saying: “You’ve got to be able to bring other players into the game a little bit better than he has done, he’s been a little bit careless at times and maybe he’s rushed it at times because he’s not having many touches.”
With just one shot on target, from right-back Ben Godfrey, Sean Dyche’s side never looked like scoring. And with a six-pointer against Crystal Palace on the horizon (19 February), the manager must bite the bullet and drop Calvert-Lewin from the starting XI.
He has only netted four goals in all competitions this season. Despite looking to have more confidence in recent weeks, the striker is not showing any signs of bettering his goalscoring record.
Who can replace Calvert-Lewin for Everton?
As the main replacement for Calvert-Lewin, the obvious choice to take his spot in the starting XI is Beto. However, the Portuguese had the same issue during his 15-minute cameo at Etihad Stadium.
The 26-year-old has been far from impressive since his move from Udinese last summer, scoring three goals in 26 appearances. With Beto’s lack of goal contributions, this would leave Dyche with a 21-year-old prospect.
Lewis Dobbin has been on the fringes of the Everton squad so far this season, starting just one league game against Wolves in August but appearing as a substitute in eight other games. He scored during a four-minute cameo against Chelsea.
He also replaced Dwight McNeil after 88 minutes but achieved more action than Beto in injury time, touching the ball five more times than him.
Although the young forward completed 0 per cent of his dribbles or ground duels, his presence was far more of a nuisance to the opposition and caused problems. [FotMob]
A lot of pressure would be placed on the academy graduate, who spent last season on loan at Derby, where he recorded five goals and six assists in 54 appearances. Considering Everton’s serious lack of form, without a Premier League victory since December, the Toffees need to change something.
In other Everton news, Andy Gray hit back after Richard Keys took a brutal swipe at the Toffees.
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