Everton analysis: Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s message arrives just as Sean Dyche has a fresh issue.
Everton analysis following the Premier League match against Brentford
Dom, Big Daddy
Last month’s blockbuster signing threatened to dethrone Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Everton’s number one striker, but it was another new addition – his own little bundle of joy – on the center-forward’s mind as he celebrated the Blues’ third goal that clinched their victory at Brentford.
Calvert-Lewin proved he’s ‘The Daddy’ both on and off the pitch as he celebrated his calmly-taken finish with ‘thumb sucking’ and rocking the baby motions, and if he has any restless nights ahead, he’d be excused for watching this strike back in the early tiny hours. The 26-year-old doesn’t appear to be slowed by parenthood, as he scored his first goal from open play since a 3-0 home triumph against Crystal Palace 11 months ago.
More injuries have followed, with new manager Sean Dyche vowing to go to any length to determine his fitness, a “factory reset” over the summer, a collision with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez on his return, and, of course, the £25.8 million signing of Beto from Udinese.
Despite this, Calvert-Lewin has returned, and Everton now has true like-for-like options battling to lead their assault.
Until the aforementioned arrival of Beto and the return of Calvert-Lewin, Everton had to rely on temporary centre-forwards, but in the same week that Goodison great Trevor Steven turned 60, is James Garner now a ‘false’ winger?
Sean Dyche’s decision to move Arnaut Danjuma, who had scored in the Blues’ previous two away games, out wide with Garner, who told the ECHO following the 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa last month that central midfield is his preferred position, was a risk. What appeared to be a negative move following Everton’s 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal last time out, when they failed to put a hand on Mikel Arteta’s side, turned out to be an amazing masterstroke from an under-fire Blues manager.
Garner’s passes from wide were consistently of good quality, with a crucial early boost in the form of his cross from wide – the left side – that picked up James Tarkowski for his spectacular flick-on that set up Abdoulaye Doucoure for the opening. If the prospect Dyche refers to as “Jimmy” was giving a convincing impression of a natural winger with that move, his grounding as a player in the engine room shone through in the build-up to the third as he harried Brentford into surrendering possession before showing his ability to pick a pass to find Calvert-Lewin and present his gaffer with a genuine selection dilemma going forward.
It may only be three points, but after failing to get the results their previous performances deserved in their previous Premier League games this season, Everton will be hoping that this result serves as a springboard to a more positive campaign after the back-to-back survival battles of the previous two years.
Rafael Benitez and Frank Lampard couldn’t taste victory in this corner of west London but it was third time lucky for Everton under Sean Dyche, not that there was ultimately anything fortunate about the result. Since Brentford came into the Premier League under Thomas Frank, they have been greeted as being something of a breath of fresh air and the antithesis to faded luminaries like the Blues who have failed to recapture past glories through the damaging impact of profligate spending under Farhad Moshiri.
That era of excess is now over with Financial Fair Play restrictions biting and the Monaco-based owner either unable or unwilling to keep the cash-flow on tap. Having agreed to sell all his shares to a controversial Miami-based private investment firm, Everton’s prospective new owners were met with a message that an arrival on Merseyside won’t be greeted with universal approval in the shape of a banner proclaiming ‘777 NOT WELCOME’ in the away end but at least for once all the post-match talk at the club was about on-the-field events.
