Charly Alcaraz was a player that Everton fans were excited to see sign with the club on a permanent deal during the summer. However, the player has been unable to clearly settle into a role this season as he’s competing with the likes of Kieran Dewsbury-Hall (KDH), Iliman Ndiaye, Tyler Dibling, and Jack Grealish for minutes.
With KDH suspended because of yellow card accumulation, Alcaraz was able to sub on for the ineffective Dibling at half time in Everton’s dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Crystal Palace, and his showing was one of the main reasons the Toffees were able to turn the tide and complete the comeback.
Dibling wasn’t bad, but opportunities simply didn’t come his way, and he didn’t know what to do when the ball wasn’t going towards him. Alcaraz was simply a better fit for how the match was going.
The stats alone don’t paint the full picture when it comes to Alcaraz’s impact in the second half. Yes, he had 18 accurate passes, one key pass, and won three ground duels, but his movement off the ball and constant energy meant that Everton could put more emphasis on controlling the tempo of the match and retaining possession. Everton had 47% possession of the ball in the first half; the Toffees controlled 54% of possession in the second half.
Charly’s performance in such a big win for the club should earn him more minutes off the bench when KDH returns and hopefully some spot starts as well.
Even though he himself didn’t get a goal contribution, Alcaraz showed that what a player does off the ball and in transition can affect the outcome of the game even if they’re not the one shooting the ball or delivering the final pass.