Our win over West Ham at the weekend saw something rare. No, not just an away win, but Bernard finding the back of the net.
The Brazilian is finally becoming a key figure under Marco Silva, but the summer arrival is still struggling to score – his strike at the London Stadium was his first in the Premier League, and only his second for us.
Most of the time, the 26-year-old does not even try his luck at finding the back of the net, and will often pass the ball on rather than fashioning an effort on goal.
Bernard‘s apparent lack of self-belief has seen the winger only record an average of 0.8 shots per ninety minutes, with just over half of those efforts coming from inside the box. Compare that to his chance creation, and you see the issue is deep-lying and almost fundamental with Bernard’s style of play.
Hopefully, he will now be able to build on his goal from the weekend, as he has admitted himself, in quotes shared on the official club website, that he must find a killer touch in front of goal.
He will not fool anyone without now adding goals to his game.
“I think I have played some good matches for Everton but, especially because I scored, I think it was my best match,” Bernard said. “It was a very happy moment for me. Scoring is very important for a forward.
“The first one is always the toughest. It was the same for me when I played for Atletico [Miniero]. It took a little while, but after the first goal went in, a lot of goals came.
“Now I can be more calm and it is going to be natural for more goals to come.”