Why Marco Silva should hand regular starts to Bernard at Everton

It has been a mixed start to the Premier League season for Marco Silva’s team. The Toffees were unbeaten in their first four top-flight games but their good run came to an end against West Ham United, as the Hammers set Goodison Park on fire last weekend to run away with three crucial points.

Prior to the game against West Ham, Everton had an impressive goalscoring record with seven goals from five matches. Although the Toffees have played some aesthetic free-flowing football so far, they haven’t defended well to preserve their lead.

Defending has been the key problem for Everton this season and it cost them dear in the clash against the Hammers. With Phil Jagielka, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane out for the count, Silva had to rely on Mason Holgate and Kurt Zouma in the heart of the defence. However, the duo showed little communication between themselves and was out of position more often than not, as Andriy Yarmolenko and Marko Arnautovic wreaked havoc with some mesmerizing football.

To be honest, Everton were quite poor against West Ham and Marco Silva does not have too many positives to take from the 3-1 loss apart from an energetic display by Bernard down the left. Down by two goals, Silva played a tactical masterstroke and brought on Bernard for Morgan Schneiderlin and the move produced instantaneous results. Bernard and Idrissa Gueye were involved in the build-up to Everton’s goal and the Toffees managed to pull one back before the halfway mark.

Bernard showed his real class in the second half and pressurized the West Ham defence with some breathtaking runs down the left. He used his pace and guile to cut inside and linked the play well with his quick passing but the strikers were unable to fire on the day. He showed agility and positional awareness to get in behind his markers and gave Pablo Zabaleta a tough day.

Arguably the brightest spark in the defeat, Bernard was the only one who tried to make things happen. The Brazilian created a lot of chances for Theo Walcott, who was rather disappointing on the day, and Oumar Niasse, who made a mockery of himself after coming on as a substitute.

Bernard signed for the Toffees on a free transfer this summer upon the expiry of his contract at Shakhtar Donetsk. However, he has made only two substitute appearances in the Premier League so far, playing a total of 51 minutes. Given that Richarlison and Walcott have been in good form this season, Silva hasn’t had the chance to use Bernard extensively.

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Now that Bernard has shown glimpses of his brilliance, however, Silva should hand him more starts. He can bring energy in the final third and act as a potential game-changer. A fast, agile and energetic attacker, the Brazilian is versatile enough to play as a left-winger and a central attacking playmaker. His versatility should make it easier for Silva to accommodate him in the starting line-up on a more regular basis.