‘Careless’ has to be fired by Sean Dyche Cristian Calvert-Lewin in the Everton lineup.

During Everton’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City, Dominic Calvert-Lewin received one of the harshest criticisms of the season.

The 26-year-old had just 27 touches against the reigning Premier League winners, maintaining a pass accuracy of just 27%, and winning an embarrassingly low 44% of aerial duels.[FotMob]

Man City’s superiority on the ball meant that Calvert-Lewin was the Toffees’ primary weapon. He kept the ball close to his body, anticipated to win aerial duels, and used his teammates to launch attacks.

“You’ve got to be able to bring other players into the game a little bit better than he has done, he’s been a little bit careless at times and maybe he’s rushed it at times because he’s not having many touches,” Rio Ferdinand said in a Saturday, February 10, 1:28 p.m. segment on TNT Sport.

Sean Dyche’s team never looked like they were going to score, with right-back Ben Godfrey managing the lone attempt on goal. A six-pointer against Crystal Palace is scheduled for February 19th, therefore the manager will have to swallow his pride and bench Calvert-Lewin.

This season, he has only scored four goals in all competitions. The striker hasn’t appeared to be improving his goal scoring record, even though he seems more confident lately.

For Everton, who can take Calvert-Lewin’s place?

As Calvert-Lewin’s major substitute in the starting lineup, Beto is the obvious choice. However, the Portuguese player’s 15-minute stint at Etihad Stadium was marred by the same issue.

After joining from Udinese last summer, the 26-year-old’s performance has been anything but stellar, with just three goals in 26 games. Beto’s lack of goal contributions would leave Dyche with a potential who is 21 years old.

Lewis Dobbin has started just one league game for Everton this season against Wolves in August, although he has made eight additional appearances as a substitute. This season, he has been on the outside looking in. During his four-minute cameo against Chelsea, he scored.

He replaced Dwight McNeil after 88 minutes as well, but he played more during injury time than Beto, touching the ball five times more frequently.

The young forward was far more disruptive and problematic for the opposition even though he only converted 0% of his dribbles and ground duels.[FotMob]

There would be a lot of expectation on the academy product, who concluded the previous season with five goals and six assists in 54 games played on loan at Derby. Everton must alter in light of their appalling performance and absence of Premier League victories since December.

In other Everton news, Andy Gray responded to Richard Keys’s insulting remark directed at the Toffees.

 

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