Gary Lineker issues advice to Dominic Calvert-Lewin after what he did in Everton loss v Aston Villa
Gary Lineker has suggested that Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin “has to learn from” his mistakes in the Blues’ loss to Aston Villa.
The Toffees’ winless start to the Premier League season continued on Saturday (14 September) as Sean Dyche’s side let a 2-0 lead slip to lose 3-2 and remain rooted to the bottom of the league table.
Although Lineker was impressed by Calvert-Lewin’s display at the top of the pitch, he has been quick to hand the England international some advice on how to improve his finishing in one-on-one situations.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football (16 September, 26:23) he said: “I thought he made two mistakes, let’s say it was a brilliant run in the first place.
“I think he made two mistakes, his first touch got the ball right under his feet. We talked about [Erling] Haaland, he likes to get it out of his feet and onto his left-hand side if he can whereas Calvert-Lewin the ball was exactly in the middle of his two feet.
“The other thing I thought was that when he was running through, he slowed down too much. You have to know that a defender is going to come and get close to you. You know that they’re going to be chasing you and normally you can feel how close a defender is, you just have that spatial awareness.
“I think he got a couple of bits wrong and he was a bit stuttered and a bit staggered. If you go at speed at the goalkeeper as well, it gives them less time, gives you more control and it also gives you different options.
“He eventually tried to go around the goalkeeper but because he moved so slowly that the defender blocked him off. If he was doing that at speed and took it around the goalkeeper, then it’s very difficult for the keeper.
“He gets it wrong on that occasion and as a striker, he now has to learn from that. I think it was the touch that did for him mostly but also the speed with which he went at him.
“He played well.”
What happened to Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Everton?
As Lineker suggests, it just seemed as though Calvert-Lewin made the chance so much harder than he needed to with his work in the build-up to the opportunity.
The stuttered finish wasn’t that of a forward brimming with confidence as the Englishman appeared to change his mind on multiple occasions before being dispossessed before he could even really test Emi Martinez.
Calvert-Lewin’s display almost summed up the Toffees so far this season. So much of what the forward did was good, but when he needed to stand up and be counted, he was missing that finishing touch.
However, the striker did manage to get on the scoresheet again and it is a sign of a good forward that he is still finding the net when he is not at his best.
Hopefully, the Blues frontman and the rest of Dyche’s side can pick up a league win sooner rather than later. Having three points under their belt could be enough to boost their confidence for the remainder of the season.
In other Everton news, Chris Sutton has shared a new relegation verdict at Goodison Park after the Toffees’ loss against Aston Villa
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