Michael Ball tackles the big issues at Hill Dickinson Stadium following Everton's back-to-back wins over Newcastle United
Everton's Harrison Armstrong
Everton's Harrison Armstrong
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I thought Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was absolutely fantastic in Everton’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park. He was everywhere and playing up the pitch.
It seemed unfortunate that Hayden Hackney missed out after a goal and an assist against Newcastle on Thursday in the Carabao Cup, but David Moyes can see the other side of things and the elements he still needs to add to his game.
Dewsbury-Hall was one of our key players last season and while it’s been a bit of a slow burner for his so far this term, it’s great to see him return to those previous levels and I thought Newcastle away was one of his best games in an Everton shirt. The opposition couldn’t get anywhere near him and it’s great for Harrison Armstrong to be able to look at a player like that.
He can play in between the lines and asks for the ball in difficult situations with the ability to either win a foul or keep hold of possession. What we’ve probably been lacking this season is an ability, when we’re under pressure, to get the ball down and start passing it around but he’s got the ability to do that.
Dewsbury-Hall has been unfortunate not to be selected in the last few England squads but hopefully this time around he could be knocking on the door.
Although they’re operating in slightly different positions, Harrison can learn from that. He’s started to drive into the box and although he didn’t connect correctly with his effort at the end of the first half, that will come.
He needs to keep getting into those positions, believing in himself but showing a bit more composure. It feels the longer it goes for Harrison without scoring, the more it is on his shoulders, but he’s just got to be pleased with his performances.
The amount of game time he is getting should fill him with confidence and help drive him forwards. He can spot those opportunities arising and he just needs to keep believe in himself because at either end of the age spectrum, he and captain James Tarkowski have been a couple of the most consistent performers for us this season so long may that continue.
I had the opportunity to go to Murphy’s Tavern in Crosby to meet up with lots of Evertonians and watch the game at St James’ Park. I was having a chinwag with them all about how the season is going and felt for a lot of people that the direction has changed since my last column.
The feel-good factor seems to have returned. Fans were feeling flat after the performances against Chelsea and Arsenal, but these back-to-back wins over Newcastle have shown just how quickly things can turn around in football, for both the supporters and the players alike.
It can be difficult playing the same team twice in a short period of time, but you can also use it to your advantage. I remember during my own career, there were occasions when it didn’t work out and then other times I couldn’t wait for it to come around again because I knew I had one up on opponents and had the better of them.
As soon as the first whistle went on Monday night, all our prayers were answered after several slow starts had seen us punished in recent weeks. The pressure was on Newcastle to try and turn around the result from the Carabao Cup tie and I think Moyes used all his experience to exploit that.
The Newcastle fanbase are very loyal but while they can be very loud, they can also turn on their own. It was up to us to keep them quiet and keep the pressure on them.
I thought it was Everton’s best performance of the season so far from not only all of the players out there but the manager as well. He got his tactics spot-on and what he was trying to achieve worked perfectly.
The only disappointment was that we only scored one goal and didn’t produce a more comfortable win that our performance on the night merited that would have given us some breathing space as we nearly threw it away with a ball that spun off the line. It feels like the players are now starting to believe in their performances again and in control, even though we didn’t push the button and try and go for a second goal.
Barry is no Haaland but he could aim for Lukaku figures this season
With Beto leaving, the pressure was always going to be on Thierno Barry. I always say that you need competition for places to keep your levels up but he’s probably grown in confidence knowing that he’s the guy who will be leading the line for Everton Football Club.
Barry knows he’s got to keep scoring goals but although he’s had personal problems over the past week with his family home being burgled, he’s bounced back.
It’s been well-documented about the number of so-called ‘big’ chances that he’s missed but he doesn’t go hiding. He’s still there the next time around.
Sometimes when strikers miss a few opportunities, they go into themselves and they won’t be there for the next cross or drop-down ball. However, even though Barry has missed some proper shockers, his goal tally is still up there.
We know he’s not going to be an Erling Haaland for Everton in terms of his numbers and we’d love to have someone who could deliver like Romelu Lukaku because we’ve not really had that since he left. However, Barry has already matched his tally from last season, which was stop-start for him, and he now has the opportunity to get well into double figures.
He still looks a bit raw and there are quite a few things that you’d like to see him improve upon. Those changes won’t come overnight and he has to keep listening to David Moyes and the coaching staff. However, given that he’s out there, expressing himself on a regular basis now, his team-mates can start playing to his strengths more.
He’ll have a figure in his head as a target, but if Barry can stay fit then he can aim to get 20 for the season. It’s been a long time since we’ve had someone we can rely on to score on a regular basis, week in, week out.
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