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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Dominic Calvert-Lewin returned to the Everton starting line-up in the Carabao Cup and he showed why he should never have been dropped in the first place with a fine display against Sheffield Wednesday.
The former Blade would have enjoyed himself when he struck twice early on with goals that proved enough for his side to make it through to the next round.
It would have come as a welcome relief to his manager, not only because the striker has proven his quality with three goals in two games, but because a win and a clean sheet has been all too rare so far this season.
Now, Marco Silva should place his trust in Calvert-Lewin, who earns £20,000-a-week according to Spotrac, as the striker can use this confidence boost to act as a more reliable figure up top.
It wasn’t just his goals that will please his manager, however, as according to SofaScore he was more involved than he usually is, with 36 touches a huge improvement on the 23 touches he managed in his previous match.
If he can provide a focal point in the middle of the opponent’s final third and work on his link-up play then he will be able to bring his teammates into the game.
That could be critical to Everton’s success, as they have quality playing behind him with both Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison scoring 14 goals last season.
Calvert-Lewin has proved adept in the air, as he showed last night, and that could lead Silva to play a more direct style when he features, though that would be a move away from his typical passing style.
The Portuguese manager likes his team to keep the ball, as evidenced in Everton’s average of 57% possession this term, and that could explain why the 22-year-old has been in and out of the side.
Against the Owls he showed he still has a great deal of work to do in that area with a pass success rate of just 47%, and until he makes a significant improvement to that aspect of his game he may not gain the full confidence of his manager.
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He is learning though, and gradually refining his role as a target man, as evidenced by the improvement he has made in not giving the ball away – aside from his stray passes.
If he can hold the ball up effectively it will allow Everton to maintain pressure for longer durations, and the trip to Burnley in a few weeks should be a real test of how far he has come.
