Thierno Barry is scoring more and quicker than he did last season. Harrison Armstrong has played all but three minutes of Everton’s Premier League campaign so far.
They are different players at different stages of their development, but both have quickly become important to David Moyes.
Barry has five goals already this season after adding another against Ipswich Town on Saturday. Armstrong, meanwhile, just keeps getting picked.
Barry reaches five quicker this time
Barry’s fifth goal arrived in Everton’s 1-0 win over Ipswich, and there was certainly some fortune involved.
James Tarkowski’s volley struck Barry on the chest and wrong-footed Christian Walton, giving Everton the lead after 11 minutes. It will not feature among the more spectacular goals of his career, but Barry was in the right place to benefit.
He thought he had another after the break when he headed home, only for the goal to be disallowed because Brennan Johnson was offside and adjudged to have interfered with Walton.
Liverpool Echo reporter Joe Thomas had an interesting description of Barry’s progress, saying the striker is “missing his chances better.”
It sounds slightly odd, but the point is a good one. Barry is still missing opportunities, as most strikers do, but he is getting himself into positions from which goals should follow.
Five have already followed this season, and he has reached that mark quicker than he did last time around.
Armstrong just keeps playing
Armstrong’s numbers are impressive in a different way.
The midfielder has missed only three minutes of Everton’s five Premier League matches. His only rest from the starting XI came in the Carabao Cup win over Wolves, before returning against Ipswich three days later.
For a young player still making his way at Premier League level, that is some workload.
More importantly, Moyes keeps trusting him with it. Armstrong has become a regular in the middle of the pitch without much fuss and has so far given his manager little reason to change things.
Our player ratings from the Ipswich win have more on both players, while the Liverpool Echo has looked in greater detail at Barry and Armstrong’s progress.
Moyes has greater competition for places
Everton also have more options than they did a year ago… ironically, even with a smaller squad. Tyler Dibling joined from Southampton for £35m during the summer, while Johnson has added another option across the attacking positions.
Johnson’s recent career has included wildly contrasting spells. He went 28 matches without scoring during his time at Crystal Palace but later scored Tottenham Hotspur’s winner in the 2024/25 Europa League final. That competition makes the starts made by Barry and Armstrong all the more encouraging.
Barry has goals behind him, and Armstrong has become one of Moyes’ most-used players. The Everton team selected against Ipswich was further evidence of the manager’s faith in both.
There is a long season ahead, and plenty can change, particularly for two players who are still developing. Neither needs to be labelled indispensable in September.
For now, Barry is scoring, and Armstrong is playing virtually every minute. Moyes will take plenty more of both.
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