Everton diary – Beto narrative clearer as striker contributes to Sean Dyche’s pride with ‘first’

The simple way out would be to criticize Beto’s performance against Nottingham Forest based just on his first-half miss.

He should have scored, and if he had shown the poise to put Everton ahead, it would have been a watershed moment for him and the Blues.

That did not occur, but despite how frustrating it was at the time, it did not prove costly. Even if it had, disappointment could have obscured the larger picture. The most essential conclusion from the City Ground is that Everton can still be effective in the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. That has not been the case in the last two years, which have both concluded in relegation battles.

It will take some time for Beto to adjust to life in the Premier League. Calvert-Lewin’s best run of fitness in a long time has hampered his progress – he was great at Sheffield United and then crucial in building the groundwork for the win at Brentford, following which Calvert-Lewin started the next nine games.

On Saturday evening, he appeared clumsy at times, but that is to be expected for a player who has been out of the team for so long. But he didn’t lack heart, passion, or drive, and while he wasn’t as clinical as Calvert-Lewin, that wasn’t Everton’s aim. Sean Dyche has one set of effective tactics with this small side – there is a Plan A but little room for alternatives. And for his strategy to work, he needs a striker who can occupy center backs, wreak havoc, and bring the midfielders behind him into play. Beto’s striker scoring goals is a plus if he can bring in Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Jack Harrison.

Last year at this time, the backup was Neal Maupay. It’s no surprise that his Merseyside career was a flop. With Beto, DCL is no longer under the same amount of pressure to return quickly because the summer signing upholds Dyche’s plan.

Saturday’s victory was not nice; it was a rough game. Fine margins count, and Beto did not capitalize on his finest chance of the game. He will need patience to gain an understanding of the English game and the intentions of his teammates. But he did set up McNeil’s great first-half chance and was a handful in the box for the game-winning goal. His rapport with those around him should improve; he did not always make the most logical moves, especially when Doucoure had the ball in the Forest half during the first 45 minutes. But he was a willing runner, and his miss should not overshadow the fact that his presence allowed Everton to win in the Premier League away from home Without Calvert-Lewin for the first time under Dyche.

McNeil’s ‘paintbrush,’ a word that has become increasingly popular at Finch Farm and is used when a player strokes a ball with ability. The goal reminded me of McNeil’s spectacular back post strike against Southampton in a 2-1 win under Frank Lampard. Away wins were uncommon in the late summer of last year. It is now the norm, which is an astonishing reversal by Dyche and those around him. I recall a dreadful week of long journeys to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, during which Everton failed to register a single shot on target in 180 minutes.I’d grown accustomed to hours spent on the road and rail ruminating over another setback and terrible performance, much like the committed away following that was excellent once again on Saturday – and whose sudden eruption into noise was the spark for the winner. Now, the last time I saw Everton lose outside of Merseyside was at Aston Villa in August. That is amazing.

While winning away from Goodison Park is no longer unusual, there was a strong sense in the Everton camp on Saturday night that this recent victory was especially significant. Everton has a difficult month in December. The combination of a lot of games, a tiny squad, a few injuries, and players like Jarrad Branthwaite and Doucoure being just one booking away from suspension meant that the laborious task of regaining deducted points had to begin immediately. If not, with Burnley strengthening, there was a risk that the ‘Everton vs the World’ mentality would shift to ‘the World is against Everton’. There is still a lot of work to be done on the pitch, and this month will be difficult.

Even while Dyche has been adamant that his players should not be impacted by the ‘noise’ around the club, he acknowledged the significance of this first win since the’restart’ when I asked him about it in the Forest media lounge, which has been rebuilt since the 2-2 match in the spring. And, while he rarely shows emotion and stayed calm once more, I knew he, too, felt a feeling of immensity as well as satisfaction in Everton landing their first strike against their latest loss. If he truly felt that way, he deserved it. Beto may have given Everton’s attack more tenacity. Dyche has implemented it throughout the club.