Opinion: Richarlison’s suspension presents a golden chance for his compatriot to nail down a spot in Silva’s Everton XI

Bernard the perfect replacement for Richarlison

Everton have made an impressive start to life under Marco Silva with the Toffees winning one game and drawing two until now. The Merseyside club have been exciting going forward with the likes of Richarlison, Cenk Tosun, and Theo Walcott all putting in respectable shifts.

Brazilian new signing Richarlison once again got his season off to a rocking start with two goals in the opening game against newcomers Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 21-year-old then picked up another goal against Southampton last week and has been devastating going forward.

But the former Watford winger endured a dismal afternoon against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth this weekend, after being sent off for a soft headbutt on Adam Smith, who was later sent off in the same game.

With Richarlison in such fiery form for the club, Marco Silva is going to need someone to replicate the goals during his absence. Fellow new signing Bernard should take his opportunity to make a good impression on the manager.

Richarlison was shown a straight red card, which means the winger misses three games. He already sat out Everton’s league cup game against Rotherham and will miss the games against Huddersfield Town and West Ham United.

While the absence of Richarlison will definitely worry Marco Silva, it will definitely be a blessing in disguise for Bernard. He possesses a number of similar qualities like his compatriot, Richarlison.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk man may not have the explosiveness and strength that Richarlison possesses but he is a neat player on the ball. The 25-year-old is calm and composed on the ball.

He is also an able distributor in the final third. While Richarlison tends to pull off solo acts at times, Bernard is more of a team player. He is excellent at quick link-up play in the final third, using quick movement and short passes to unlock defences.

Bernard showed during his time in Shakhtar that he possesses the cutting edge to thrive in offensive teams. He also brings the added experience of playing in the Champions League. The Brazilian scored 3 goals in 8 appearances in the Champions League last season. He also averaged a pass success rate of 82.3% in that time. (Stats Courtesy – Whoscored)

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Bernard is capable of playing in a number of systems and formations. And while Marco Silva may not have to tweak his system to field Bernard, he may find a new star in the team over the next few weeks.