McNeil move inside has strengthened Everton attack

McNeil scored both of the goals with which Everton turned around the match against Crystal Palace yesterday, as they came from behind to win 2-1.

Scoring goals with any consistency has been the greatest problem this Blues side has faced for a long time now.

Season after season, manager after manager have come and gone and the Toffees have struggled constantly to find a way to score goals.

In the last campaign, Everton only netted forty times in total, which was the lowest of any Premier League team apart from bottom club Sheffield United.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the Blues top scorer in the end but he only scored eight goals in total, a meager return for a former England centre-forward to put it mildly.

In the 2022-23 season the side's most productive player in front of goal was McNeil.

The former Burnley youth product signed by Frank Lampard in the summer of 2022 managed seven strikes in the Premier League during that campaign.

McNeil came to Everton as a winger employed largely out wide to provide chances rather than score goals.

He had never been prolific at Turf Moor rarely finding the back of the net despite having a fine left foot shot - with which he once scored a winner at Goodison Park - and that at first continued to be the case when he joined the Toffees.

But after a slow start to his Blues career when his former Burnley boss Dyche arrived in January 2023, McNeil went on to net five more times to become the team's leading scorer.

Last season he couldn't replicate that form in front of goal, although his ability to put in plenty of good balls from out wide was evident, even if most of those chances were not being taken.

I have previously written that I felt McNeil would be a more productive and effective player if he operated further forward in a more advanced attacking position.

While he has a good left foot and certainly plenty of ability to provide accurate crosses, he lacks the pace of a modern wide attacker with which to get behind the opposing full-back with any consistency. This limits his effectiveness in a traditional winger's role.

He does have good movement and anticipation - as he showed again yesterday afternoon - and that allows him to get into excellent positions to score goals.

This together with the obvious finishing ability McNeil possesses, means that he could become a much more consistent goalscorer for Everton, if he has the opportunities and support.

Lately this season he has moved into a more central role playing as a floating number ten and has so far netted four times already.

Whoever is the Toffees manager - whether Dyche stays on or is replaced - now that Dan Friedkin's group are posed to take control of the club, must find ways to increase the Blues goal return if this team is make any sustained progress.

Everton also have more options out wide with the summer additions of Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom - although the Dane is only on loan - giving Dyche the chance to move McNeil inside.

If McNeil can continue to be this productive in his new position then his added contribution will also go along way to helping achieve that higher goal tally.