Everton must build their attack around Barry

Physicality is Barry’s biggest strength

Barry’s physicality is his biggest attribute, a point evidenced by the Premier League record 14 aerial duels he won against Manchester United in November. The Frenchman’s overall statistical profile is similar to Beto’s, but he has the advantage of being five years younger than his teammate. Beto is supposed to be in his prime, yet has rarely shown that he has the ability to lead the line for a club which harbours hopes of European qualification. His supporters will point to his recent tally of four goals in fixtures against Chelsea, Brentford and Liverpool, but they prove little in the grand scheme of things. He had scored just four goals prior that brief run of form, which is an extremely poor return for a Premier League striker. Barry’s goalscoring record is also nothing to write home about, although his cause has not been helped by spending a sizeable part of the season on the bench. His physical style coupled with the belief that he still has time to improve makes him the sensible choice to lead Everton’s attack next season.

Moyes’ comments paint a positive picture for Barry

Moyes recent comments about Barry following the Merseyside derby against Liverpool highlighted that he still believes he will come good.

“I am saying a general thing here, and it is that football supporters are not having much patience with many things. “You might not get two or three years to become that player. There is a bigger emphasis on – we need things now and we are looking for that to happen quickly. It is not just here at Everton. I think all clubs are the same. “He is young as well, first year in the country, at the moment we have four games to go and if he scores a couple of goals, you might say it has not been the worst return for a young centre-forward.” Having watched Barry get those couple of goals against City, Moyes may feel he has taken a big step towards proving he can carry the club’s goalscoring burden next season.