Everton manager David Moyes watched his team achieve an improbable victory with 10 men against Manchester United on Monday night, only to have to see them thrashed at home by Newcastle United.
In the midst of the quagmire was a moment emblematic of the problems that threaten to undermine everything David Moyes is trying to do. Tierno Barry thought he had finally opened his account with the club when his slice-miss kick spun past Aaron Ramsdale.
Unfortunately, VAR intervened and found that Barry had inadvertently created a chance with his arm. That means Barry, who arrived from Villarreal for £27 million, has played 464 minutes in the Premier League and has not scored a goal, provided an assist or taken a single shot on target.
Unsurprisingly, the 23-year-old French striker was praised for his physical efforts in the wins over Manchester United and Fulham, and when he was substituted in the final minute against Newcastle United, those still in the stadium gave him a well-deserved ovation.
There is no question about his hard work, enthusiasm and dedication. However, if Everton’s season is to develop into a positive one, Moyes will need a more threatening striker.
Barry’s struggles are highlighted when Moyes’ defensive strategy has an off day, which was a significant off day against Newcastle.
“From the beginning, we were pretty flat,” Jake O’Brien said. “We had some good moments, but at times we opened ourselves up and gave them too many chances and they took it away. We were chasing the game and we left ourselves wide open.”
“The important thing is to get through it and go into Tuesday (Everton away at Bournemouth) with a positive mindset and get the three points.”
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Moyes refused to use the absence of key midfielder Idrissa Guye, who was sent off for slapping team-mate Michael Keane in Monday’s game against Manchester United, as an excuse for a lackluster performance.
“Maybe it was, but maybe it was the quality of Newcastle United. Don’t underestimate them. They are a Champions League team,” he said. “They got off to a great start, we got off to a terrible start. They were a lot better than us, they played better, they were a lot more experienced than us.
“You can see Newcastle learning from the Champions League game, when they had to defend they were difficult to play against and their counter-attacks were really quick.
“We lost to a better team, there’s no doubt about that.”
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