When Everton were linked with prolific Villarreal and France u21 striker Thierno Barry it was interesting to see the comments under the speculative articles.
One read: “Money distracts you too much. You should have played in the Champions League, you would have improved more with Marcelino, and next year top-10 Premier League teams would be calling you. You’re going to a team fighting to avoid relegation. Good luck, change your agent, and get your head straight.”
Another said: “Thierno Barry was born to play in the Premier League. His departure leaves a significant gap in charisma, presence in the box, and finishing at Villarreal.”
When Everton did finally sign up one of the most highly rated young strikers in Europe he appeared in just a handful of friendly games. In his hour-long stint against Roma he shone in two moments; firstly beating the right back and launching himself down the wing to start and attack, and later playing in Ndiaye with a lovely bit of skill.
Between that he drifted in and out of the game. His hold up play was poor but he worked hard and should have scored with a clever run to latch onto a Dewsbury-Hall pass before getting his feet wrong before taking a shot.
Now, just a few weeks along and leaks out of the club suggest Everton want to sign another striker amid his ‘rawness’ in training.
The big question is; did Everton buy the wrong striker? Have, as one forum user put it, ‘Everton signed another Niasse’?
It is easy to base a striker’s success on his ability to bring down long balls, fight off defenders and bring others into play. A top striker should be able to do this to provide an outlet to a team under pressure, allowing them to play more direct.
The issue is that over the past few years Everton have always been under pressure. Low possession stats and panic on the ball means Everton’s only way of moving up the pitch was to lump it to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and hope Abdoulaye Doucoure could use his physicality to mop up the loose ball.
It is a symptom of a team either not able to pass the ball or one who is simply unwilling.
Unfortunately Beto is not that striker. His ball control is poor, he is not particularly impressive in aerial duels and his passing is not his strongest suit.
More unfortunately Barry is also not that striker. While his 6ft 5 frame means he does win a huge percentage of his aerial duels his two biggest weaknesses are his close control and his passing, which is a glaring weakness in his game. As a target man tasked with holding up the ball to allow his teammates to progress forward he is ‘raw’. In fact he’s simply not up to the task.
So Everton have a couple of choices. The first is to carry on. Sign up a big, hulking striker who can control the ball (is that Michael Antonio I hear?) and hope that the hit and hope tactics of the Sean Dyche era give us enough free kicks, corners and scrappy goals to propel us towards mid-table.
The second is to find a way to bring in the likes of Illiman Ndiaye, Jack Grealish, Charly Alcaraz and Keirnan Dewsbury-Hall and play further up the pitch with more emphasis on possession. That allows the striker to play on the shoulder of the last defender, get into the box on the end of crosses and passes, and break quickly with the ball at his feet to launch sweeping counter attacks.
The second way would, miraculously, suit Thierno Barry to the ground. The stats are clear. Last season he averaged 1.37 carries into the final third per game, placing him in the 85th percentile for this metric. His progressive runs average 1.53 per 90 (65th percentile).
According to the excellent Breaking the Lines website: “In addition to his box presence, Barry likes the ball at his feet. He often drifts wide to exploit the flanks, using his long strides and ball-carrying to bypass opponents. Deceptive touches, including sole roles and flip-flaps, leave defenders off-balance. He is able to navigate through tight spaces but also draws fouls from defenders who are baited into committing to tackles.”
The fact is Thierno Barry has scored goals everywhere he has been. In Belgium, in Switzerland, and in Spain. It is interesting that his start at Basel was marred with low confidence and poor performances. When it finally clicked after Christmas, Barry was described by fans as a ‘completely different player’ as he clocked up goal after goal.
It is probably a hint that attacking him and branding him ‘raw’ and a flop is probably a self-fulfilling prophecy that could end his Everton career before it begins.
But if Everton show faith and work with Barry the results could be extraordinary.
We know Everton’s defence is suited to sitting deep and soaking up pressure. The biggest issue with the team is, when the ball is turned over, Everton players simply cannot seem to pass the ball to a blue shirt. Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall have been brought in to help that but they need players ahead of them to receive it.
A pacey right winger is a must and he would provide an outlet for the ball down the right, where Jake O’Brien is frequently having to turn back and recycle possession. As impressive as he has been, he is not a full back who can beat his man or overlap effectively.
On the other side Ndiaye, dropping deep, can also collect the ball and progress it forward.
Notice how both of these options do not need a long ball tactic to a lone centre forward? For that to be successful you would need the Nottingham Forest style of play, where super fast wingers provide the speed and superb technicians in the middle dictate play around a more static Chris Wood.
Everton do not have pacey wingers, or superb technicians in the middle. They don’t have a forward like Chris Wood who can win every duel and poach goals in the box. So why are we trying to play that way?
Across the Premier League most teams now use clever, quicker forwards who can stretch a defence by getting in behind. Ollie Watkins, Joao Pedro and Yohane Wissa are certainly not target men, while even the likes of Alexander Isak, Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Hugo Ekiteke are not often seen playing with their backs to goal on the halfway line. Instead they’re breaking forward, stretching defences as the midfield moves the ball quickly towards them on the ground.
Thierno Barry is not a flop and he is not too ‘raw’ for the Premier League. He’s a young striker who will take time to find his feet but to do that Everton need to abandon the tactics that have become a graveyard for strikers at the club for years.
If they can do that they have a striker who could become one of the best in Europe in a few years instead of another wasted talent.