Everton have several players representing their countries during the international break. Not only is the UEFA Nations League reaching its climax, but qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations is ongoing and the South American World Cup qualifiers are over halfway completed..
Sean Dyche will be hoping a few of his players can return to Merseyside free from any injuries as they look to move away from the Premier League relegation zone.
He will be buoyed by a few of the performances that have been delivered by his players, however.
The Everton players who have shone on international duty
Jordan Pickford kept another clean sheet for England during their 3-0 victory over Greece. The goalkeeper made five saves and won 100% of his total duels during the game.
Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye both started for Senegal in their AFCON qualifier against Burkina Faso, which ended in a narrow 1-0 win for Senegal.
Gueye was in superb form, finishing the game with a 96% pass success rate, making four key passes, winning six of his eight ground duels and making four tackles as he ran the show from the heart of the midfield.
Ndiaye was deployed in a more advanced role, just behind Nicolas Jackson, and he was fairly solid too. He made two key passes, registered two shots and attempted four dribbles, succeeding with two.
Dyche will be hoping the trio can maintain these levels of performance for Everton’s next match in the league. There was one player who gave an underwhelming display on international duty, however, as Beto failed to shine for his nation.
Beto’s stats vs Guinea-Bissau
The striker has scored two goals for Everton this term, including one in the Premier League, but he was poor for Guinea-Bissau as they drew 1-1 with Eswantini in the AFCON qualifiers on Friday night.
He was tasked with leading the line, yet Beto managed to take just 20 touches during his time on the pitch, while losing the ball nine times and losing ten of his 11 contested duels as he struggled to get a foothold in the game.
Beto’s international stats | |
|---|---|
Goals | 0 |
Total shots | 1 |
Touches | 20 |
Completed passes | 5/7 |
Pass accuracy | 71% |
Possession lost | 9x |
Ground duels won | 1/9 |
Fouls made | 5 |
Aerial duels won | 0/2 |
Big chances created | 1 |
Key passes | 2 |
Beto also committed five fouls during the match and completed only five passes. Yes, he may have had a hand in the equalising goal – with his cross eventually finding its way in courtesy of Carlos Mane – but overall, it was a dismal showing from the Everton player.
Given Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s dropoff in form in recent weeks, Dyche would have been hoping for a more promising showing by Beto.
On the evidence on yesterday’s showing, however, It looks like he could find himself on the bench again when Everton take on Brentford following the conclusion of the international break next week.
His sole Premier League goal has come from the bench, which suggests he is perhaps better off being utilised midway through a game.
This was his chance to impress Dyche, however, but the 26-year-old failed to showcase his true talents, that’s for sure.
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