What a difference a month and a half makes! Towards the beginning of this year, Beto was closer to the exit ramp than the starting XI. The 27-year-old has now scored in each of his last three league matches and has become an effective target man for the Blues.
When first-choice strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Armando Broja got ruled out with injuries, Beto was suddenly thrust into prominence. Confidence in him had been thin, after all, goals and minutes had been hard to come by under Sean Dyche. The Guinea-Bisseau international had found the back of the net on just seven occasions in 35 matches under Dyche.
Under David Moyes, though, he is going through an exciting spell of resurgence. He has already featured more on the pitch in five league games since the Scot’s arrival than in the previous 12 matches under Dyche. More importantly, though, he has netted five goals in seven matches.
Beto’s scoring streak began in Everton’s 2-0 win over Peterborough United in the FA Cup on the day of Dyche’s departure. He grabbed a brace in the 4-0 hammering of Leicester and gave Everton the lead in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison that ended 2-2. He also scored in the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace last weekend.
“It’s just a boost of confidence, all the new staff and my teammates have given me the confidence to play my game. That’s what I’m doing and I’m getting rewarded with the goals and the wins.
“I do special training with the coaching staff, hold the ball, finishing. The gaffer just said, ‘play your game and play tidy and you’re going to help us a lot’,” said the striker after the win at Selhurst Park.
Part of the reason why Beto has been doing so well under Moyes is because of the number and quality of chances that Everton have been creating. They had the worst shot quality in the league (0.08 expected goals) under Dyche but that metric had improved to 0.15 xG before the Merseyside derby.
You don’t need me to spell out that better chance creation usually equals improved scoring rates.
“We always have pressure to score because we need goals to win. We’re having more chances under the gaffer and it’s helping us. We’re scoring the chances and it’s helping because sometimes we had a lot of chances and didn’t score. Not just me but the entire team,” Beto added.
The 27-year-old’s movement has been another interesting facet that has resulted in him receiving more balls inside the box. Before the trip to Selhurst Park, he had 13 touches in the opposition box and has racked up seven shots under Moyes already (compared to the 11 he had under Dyche).
Confidence is the final part of the puzzle as regular game time and support from the fans have helped the striker’s temperament. His shot-conversion rate has jumped from nine percent under Dyche to 43 percent under Moyes.
After getting on the scoresheet in the Merseyside derby and against Crystal Palace, Beto celebrated passionately in front of the fans. The love for Evertonians also gets reciprocated on the pitch through grit and goals.
“It is emotional. I can see they (the fans) love me and I love them back. This is a work of God. I believe in God and it’s really amazing.”
Ole, ole, ole Beto!