Beto leaves Everton with major decision to make after Premier League decision finally goes their way

Our writers share their views on which player should take the next penalty Everton get

Everton’s wait for a penalty finally came to an end on Saturday.

It had gone on so long – Everton became the only Premier League team not to have been awarded a spot kick months ago – there was almost a cruel inevitably it would be missed.

Sean Dyche later backed Beto’s penalty prowess but there has been a lot of talk since the match about who should have stepped up with regular taker Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the bench.

Here, some of the ECHO’s Blues writers ponder who they would select for the responsibility.

Everton could perhaps be forgiven for being a bit rusty when it comes to penalty-taking given that until Saturday’s game against West Ham United, it had been over 10 months since they were awarded one but for all Beto’s confidence in grabbing the ball before the spot-kick had even been given, I wouldn’t let him take the next one.

Sean Dyche says Everton’s players practice penalties in training and he and his staff monitor who is doing well yet slotting them away when up against your mates at Finch Farm cannot truly replicate game situations, especially when 73 spot-kicks are dished out to every other Premier League club this season before your team got one. To his credit, Beto kept on plugging away and got his goal against the Hammers with a second half header and he was one of the Blues players who slotted in from 12 yards out in the penalty shoot-out against Fulham in December.

That was the night that the wind went out of the sails on Everton’s season as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup having won their previous four Premier League matches but they’d have reached their first semi-final of any kind in eight years if Amadou Onana hadn’t produced such a lacklustre effort when he had the chance to win the tie. You can always be denied by a great save but players at this level should be able to take an orthodox run-up and strike a penalty with conviction.

If he’s on the pitch the next time the Blues get a spot-kick then I’d hand responsibility back to Dominic Calvert-Lewin but, while on international duty England number one Jordan Pickford showed he can strike a mean penalty in a shoot-out, let’s not turn things into a circus by having him trotting up the pitch to take one during a game. If Everton’s number nine is not playing then I’d stay well clear of any gimmicks and tell James Tarkowski to put his laces through it again.

Matt Jones – Pickford is a genuine contender

After the jovial relief had subsided inside Goodison Park following the awarding of Everton’s first penalty of the season, a foreboding realisation set in.

While the focus has been on getting a penalty after so long without one, being awarded a spot kick doesn’t mean a guaranteed goal. An Everton player still had to find the back of the net from 18 yards out. It’s not that easy for these players, sadly. Beto has some positive traits, but striking a clean ball is certainly not something you associate the bustling forward with. So as he lined up to take the penalty, it was no shock to see Alphonse Areola make a relatively routine save from his scuffed effort.

So what are Everton to do now in the rare event of another successful penalty appeal? Surely if Dominic Calvert-Lewin was on the pitch he would have taken the penalty, although his goalless run means he is not guaranteed to start any time soon. Beyond him, contenders are sparse.

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Abdoulaye Doucoure could perhaps do it, although he has always struck as a more instinctive, first-time finisher – the time to ponder where he’s going to place the penalty might not suit his talents.

Dwight McNeil doesn’t seem the type of character who could cope with the pressure, whereas Jack Harrison’s ball striking has been less than convincing during his loan spell. Ultimately, Everton lack many players who would be capable of striking a sweet shot from 12 yards, not to mention footballers who would be emboldened by that responsibility rather than inhibited.

Jordan Pickford is perhaps one – seriously – as are Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski. But it’s a sorry state of affairs when a goalkeeper and the two centre-backs are serious contenders.

Anyway, given the wait Everton typically have for spot kicks, perhaps we’re better served looked to the Under-18s for our next assassin from 12 yards?

The above opinions are a tough read and we are all saved from having to solve this riddle if Dominic Calvert-Lewin is on the pitch. I went through Chris and Matt’s thoughts and was determined to not end up pushing a slightly gimmicky answer – we have long understood Michael Keane to be the best finisher at the club and he scored his shootout effort against Fulham. He is unlikely to be on the pitch, however, given the strength of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite’s seasons.

I want to opt for Dwight McNeil or James Garner. Both strike the dead ball so well and I think both have technical ability. I would fancy either to be able to take a good penalty, the only question is whether they would want to. Dyche said after the game that Beto had been on a hot streak in training but I thought it was notable how it almost seemed to be the assumption he would take it on Saturday.

Either it was a discussion that had already been had, or there was no actual competing voice for the responsibility, which would be a concern. We know what Dyche would do – he scored his high-pressure FA Cup semi-final pen by absolutely belting it. I’m not sure I would fancy too many in Royal Blue to do that so I’m hoping McNeil could provide some precision. I’d like to see him either show the confidence, or be given the confidence, on something like this because I genuinely think he would be a safe bet.