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It would only be a slight change, but it could potentially make the world of difference.
As many Everton fans will tell you, Bernard took a while to settle in and adapt to the English game, although in recent weeks, his performances have been excellent.
Whilst he personally has been brilliant recently as the Toffees have recorded three straight wins, there should be some inquest into why it took so long for the Brazilian to show what he’s about – there are five games left of the season, and he has only just got going.
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One argument for this could be Marco Silva’s use of the former Shakhtar Donetsk attacker. Bernard has been deployed as a left-winger over the course of the campaign, where his lack of physicality and diminutive frame – he is just 5 ft 5 – has been taken advantage of somewhat by more dominant full-backs.
Meanwhile, the more robust Gylfi Sigurdsson has been played centrally, although he does tend to drift out onto the left sometimes in the hope of getting a shot away on his stronger right foot.
To get Bernard, a player with far greater balance and guile than Sigurdsson, involved in the game more, Silva should switch the two around so that the 26-year-old is able to pull the strings in the No.10 spot behind the striker.
In this area, it is far more likely that Bernard won’t come face-to-face with a direct marker if he operates in the space between the opposition defence and midfield, so he should therefore have a greater impact on proceedings – even more so with the space made thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s willing runs which drag the centre-backs around.
If you have seen Bernard play for the Brazilian national team and in the Champions League for Shakhtar Donetsk, you will know just how good he is – whilst he is beginning to show his true colours to England, everyone would’ve been aware of his talents much quicker has this change been implemented sooner.
Silva must ensure that he does this during pre-season, so that Sigurdsson and Bernard can acclimatise to the change.
