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This article is part of Football FanCast's In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets...

Everton's season didn't quite start as they would have wanted it to as they were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday, as their attacking players flattered to deceive.

The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Richarlison and Bernard failed to make the difference in the final third, and it was another disappointing display for the latter who has been criticised by fans in the past.

The Toffees signed the Brazilian this time last year for nothing following the expiry of his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk, and he ended his debut Premier League campaign with one goal and four assists in 34 outings, as per Transfermarkt.

An increase on those numbers will surely be needed if the 26-year-old is going to be a regular starter this time around for the Merseyside outfit who will have ambitions to push for a top-six finish, and you would have thought that he would look to stamp his mark on the new season with further competition in Alex Iwobi joining on transfer deadline day in a deal worth up to £34m.

It never really happened for the wide man against the Eagles though, and in 90 minutes on the field he produced no shots and one key pass, per WhoScored.

Bernard couldn't be accused of not trying to make things happen, but the fact that he was dispossessed on three occasions and suffered from six bad touches shows that the large majority of what he did try to do didn't work out.

Meanwhile, his teammate Sigurdsson came under fire from the supporters for his performance at Selhurst Park, missing a glorious opportunity when he completely scuffed an effort from the edge of the area.

29 of Bernard's 34 top flight outings in 2018/19 came from the left wing, but perhaps now is the ideal time for Marco Silva to make a change.

Sigurdsson is hardly setting the world alight in the No.10 position, and with Iwobi arriving he could take up the mantle on the left with the Brazilian moving inside to be given a chance there.

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He is clearly a player with good feet who is capable of creating given he produced 35 assists in 157 matches for Shakhtar, so why not give him a chance to showcase his ability and see if he can be more effective in a role where he might not get as lost?

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