Everton's Unbeaten Streak Continued Against Brentford. So Why Am I Sad?

On Beto's 0-Day, the pulsing heartbeat of Jake O'Brien and the need to keep Carlos Alcaraz in the starting lineup, regardless of Abdoulaye Doucouré's status.

In a way, Everton’s 1-1 draw away to Brentford on Wednesday was slightly disappointing. It felt weird writing that sentence; there was a time, and by that mean a little more than a month ago, where an Everton draw away to Brentford—and the one point added to our Premier League total—would’ve given us reason to celebrate.

Now? Not so much.

Don’t get me wrong. A point is a point. But when the final whistle sounded, I was annoyed.

It was a match we could have and should have won.

What a difference a month can make.

And what a difference a manager can make.

Beto(hno)

In the six matches before Everton’s clash with Brentford, Beto finally smashed the goal-less curse that had dogged his Everton stint since that $27 million gamble from Udinese back in August 2023. Those six strikes—each one echoing with a Toffee’s roar of redemption—had us clutching hope, if not outright faith, that Beto might just be the lethal finisher Kevin Thelwell and the club’s recruitment wizards dreamed of when they signed him.

But Wednesday’s draw against Brentford left us scratching our heads, didn’t it? Beto missed three golden chances to bury Brentford’s Mark Flekken¹—moments that flashed us back to the old Beto, the one Evertonians knew before January’s scoring spree, the guy who’d stumble at the final hurdle, ball at his feet, net in sight, despite ranking 7th in the Premier League for shots on target per match. It was familiar heartbreak all over again.

We’re desperate for a consistent finisher—Toffees have been starving for one since Romelu Lukaku last pulled on the blue jersey. We need someone who can:

1. Bang in goals, game after game, no questions asked.

2. Stay on the pitch, not the treatment table.

There’s no doubt Beto’s got it in him. I see these remaining games as his shot to prove to Moyes, Thelwell (or whoever’s calling the shots as director of football next), and the Friedkin Group that he’s the guy. If he nails it, our summer transfer window could look a whole lot different. A striker’s still on the shopping list—especially with DCL’s exit looking like a done deal²—but if Beto locks down the starting role, Everton won’t be chasing a new number nine; they’ll be hunting for backup. And backup, folks, comes a hell of a lot cheaper than a starter.

Thank God Beto’s not stuck under Sean Dyche anymore—that man’s stubbornness was a brick wall, refusing to tweak his tactics for the players or the results staring him in the face. I’ve never seen a football manager so rigid, not even Louis Van Gaal with his rigid formations—Dyche made him look flexible. But Beto’s thrived since Moyes stepped in, because Moyes does what most gaffers do: he molds the system around the striker’s strengths, not the other way around.

I reckon Brentford was a blip—a rare stumble for our man. Beto will likely get back to banging in goals, though it won’t be every match—that’s just not how these streaks roll. But the clock’s ticking, and Toffees everywhere are watching: can Beto deliver, or will we keep chasing that elusive finisher?

Jake O’Brien: Everton’s New Defensive Star

Jake O’Brien has emerged as the Toffee we didn’t see coming—a defensive rock playing out of position at right-back, yet somehow stealing the show. It’s the kind of Everton story that’s played out for over one hundred years.

O’Brien, the 23-year-old Irish colossus signed from Lyon for £17 million last summer, was meant to shore up the center of defense alongside Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski. But Dyche, in keeping with his stubborn nature, flat-out refused to give O’Brien much consideration, because he hadn’t approved his transfer.

And so, O’Brien sat. And sat.

But with a new manager and a dearth of options due to injuries—Nathan Patterson sidelined, Seamus Coleman hobbling, and Moyes scrambling for options—he’s been shoved out to right-back. It’s not his natural spot. But watching him, you’d never know.

Since Moyes took over, O’Brien’s delivered two clutch goals that’ve had us leaping off our seats. Clinical, aerial dominance in the box with precision headers. Two goals in seven games under Moyes, and both feeling like lifelines for a side scrapping for points in 15th place.

But it’s not just the goals—it’s the grit. O’Brien’s defensive stats are the stuff of Toffee dreams: 1.5 aerial duels won per match, 1.2 tackles, and 1.3 clearances, making him a brick wall out wide. Against Brentford, he shut down their left flank, even as they faded after halftime, racking up 4 interceptions and winning 3 out of his 4 duels. Sure, he doesn’t have Seamus Coleman’s pacey overlap. But his physicality and positioning have plugged a gap Moyes couldn’t afford to leave open.

Playing right-back isn’t easy for a center-back, but O’Brien’s adapted like he’s been there all his life. Moyes, always the tactician, has molded his system around O’Brien’s strengths: aerial power, ball-playing ability, and that relentless work rate. It’s a far cry from Dyche’s rigid setup, where players like O’Brien either got squeezed into square pegs or didn’t play at all due to the manager’s pettiness³. Moyes doesn’t make those mistakes, and O’Brien’s thriving because of it.

We’ve been desperate for Everton heroes for quite a few years now. We’ve had relegation nipping at our heels as we hoped we could do just enough to make it to Bramley-Moore as a Premier League side. There were times it didn’t feel possible. Right now? The thought of going down seems implausible. I haven’t felt optimism like this in at least half a decade.

O’Brien’s one of the major reasons we’re feeling this way. He’s becoming not just a crucial player for Everton; he’s becoming a heartbeat. And once a player becomes an Everton heartbeat, it’s a very short distance to Everton legend.

Brave, Brave Alcaraz

January signing Carlos Alcaraz started in place of Abdoulaye Doucouré. Alcaraz brought a level of intensity, resolve and athleticism that Doucouré just doesn’t have. But far more importantly, Alcaraz gave Everton a legitimately creative attacking threat the squad has been missing for quite some time.

I loved watching Alcaraz, way outside the box, spin with the ball and fire off two shots on goal. No hesitation. No fear. Cero miedo. Twice. No hesitation. No fear. Cero miedo. And while I’d also love to make a joke here about “zero accuracy” or “zero goals,” the truth is, he did come pretty close on both of those shots. That boldness? That’s what we’ve been missing. ⁴

I’m truly hoping that, come March 8, I will not find myself staring down at an Everton starting squad sheet with Doucouré’s written name on it. Everton managers seem to love the man and, truth be told, he’s put in plenty of respectable shifts for us. But he’s a liability in more ways than he isn’t, lumbering about while the game races around him⁵. We need to give Alcaraz—a player who wants to stay at Everton beyond his loan expiration—an extended starting lineup run so we can see if what he has to offer is worth turning into a permanent deal this summer.

I haven’t seen enough of him to truly make a judgment yet. But I will say this: We look far more threatening with Alcaraz in the lineup than we do with Doucouré trudging through his own midfield mud.

F O O T N O T E S

1. Every time I hear someone say this man’s name on TV or a podcast, I giggle. Because I am 11 years old.

2. Totally fine with this, by the way. And you should be, too.

3. Among the many very stupid things Dyche did near the end of his Everton tenure, this ranks near the highest levels.

4. Okay, it’s one of the many things we’ve been missing.

5. I’m not joking. This literally happens in every match. It’s like if you’re playing FIFA and you turn down the opponent speed, or your team’s speed up. It’s exactly like that. Someone turned Doucs’ speed down, is all.