An examination of Everton strikers Beto and Thierno Barry's Premier League statistics for the season so far
Everton strikers Beto and Thierno Barry
Everton strikers Beto and Thierno Barry
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The striker issue continues to be a hot topic among Evertonians. But just who is the Blues’ best bet up front?
Thierno Barry became Everton’s first new face of the summer transfer window when he completed a £27million move from Villarreal on July 9. On signing, the France Under-21 international stated how there had been “good conversations” between himself and David Moyes, who had told him he has the quality in the Premier League and how he recalled the likes of Wayne Rooney and Romelu Lukaku spearheading the attack for the Blues.
Citing how he had gone to La Liga “which is a top league” last season and was “not scared to play here and do the same,” nevertheless, Barry is still waiting to break his scoring duck. The 6ft 5in frontman found the net 19 times last season, with eight for Basel before his departure on August 21, and then 11 for Villarreal.
Although the player, who turned 23 on Tuesday, has come a long way in a relatively short space of time, it is also worth bearing in mind that it took him a while to find his feet in Switzerland, getting sent off in both of his first two matches in July and not scoring his first league goal until a 3-1 victory away to Winterhur on January 30.
Beto spent the best part of his first 18 months on Merseyside as understudy to Dominic Calvert-Lewin but an injury crisis in January left him as the Moyes’ only fit striker with Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti all sidelined.
The Guinea-Bissau international ultimately finished last season with 10 goals in all competitions for Everton – double his total from the previous season – and eight of those, including five in a four Premier League game purple patch in February, came after Sean Dyche’s exit.
This term, though, the 27-year-old has just one in the competition to date – a header at Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 30 – with a late tap-in at home to third tier Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup three nights earlier doubling his tally.
If you’re a glass half full person, you could point to the fact that Beto got himself into a couple of inviting positions to score against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, but both of his efforts were off target. In contrast, despite hardly having a kick for almost an hour, Erling Haaland down Everton with a quickfire second half double, scoring with what was his first chance of the game.
Afterwards, when asked about the team’s thoughts on their misfiring striker, James Tarkowski told the ECHO: “Beto has got a great mentality. He works hard at his game all the time.
“I don’t think he needs geeing up too much. He’ll keep putting himself in positions to score goals and I’m sure at some point he’ll put them in like he did last season.
“I don’t think he needs an arm around the shoulder too much. The lads will support him if he needs it, but I’ve seen him working hard at his game ever since he’s been here, so he’ll keep putting himself in those positions to score goals and hopefully one will go in for him.”
Should Motes stick with the more experienced performer for a while though or is it time to go with the option who might offer more long-term promise? EFC Statto (Bradley Cates) has looked at the numbers so far.
Both have played in all eight Premier League matches this season, but for Beto it’s six starts and two substitute appearances and the other way around for Barry (they have only been on the pitch together for the final four minutes of the 1-0 defeat at Leeds United in the opening fixture).
Beto has played more than twice as many minutes (501 to 223) and along with that one goal to nil, he has had three shots on target with Barry yet to even test an opposition keeper.
Beto has missed three big chances to Barry’s two, although only one of those was deemed to have come against Pep Guardiola’s side. Beto has touched the ball 162 times and Barry 80 and in the opposition box, these figures are 31 and seven respectively.
Beto has received the ball 111 times with 21 of these in the opposition box while Barry has received the ball 57 times with just four in the opposition box, suggesting a tendency to get involved away from the danger areas.
Moyes declared that with the game still scoreless, Everton “had two great chances” against Man City.
As the Blues boss admitted: “Certainly the level of team which we are at the moment means that we don’t get bundles of them, so we have to take those opportunities.”