The ECHO's Blues writers consider what changes they would make to inject some impetus into Everton before the next international break
Carlos Alcaraz during the Carabao Cup match between Everton and Mansfield Town. Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz during the Carabao Cup match between Everton and Mansfield Town. Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
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David Moyes will take his Everton team to Sunderland next week with plenty to think about,
His Blues side has had good moments this season and has been close to having even more. But it was hard to avoid leaving Hill Dickinson Stadium without some frustration on Sunday as Everton fell to a first home defeat on the Liverpool waterfront at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.
With a tough trip to the North East ahead, the ECHO’s Blues writers considered what change they would like to see Moyes explore in the near future.
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Chris Beesley
Everton have now failed to score in their last two matches, prompting suggestions that their play has become somewhat predictable with many calling for David Moyes to make a change, but what exactly can the Blues boss do?
Some have suggested that with Jarrad Branthwaite facing a prolonged period on the sidelines, Jake O’Brien should be moved to centre-back but that seems like a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to me after the set-piece disappointments against Tottenham Hotspur because, other than that, Michael Keane and James Tarkowski have been building up a decent partnership. Also, as much as that would enable the Republic of Ireland international to revert to his natural position, the dearth of quality alternatives at right-back would just result in another square peg being shunted into a round hole, probably James Garner who would arguably then be missed in the centre of the park.
That would, at least, provide scope for transfer deadline day signing Merlin Rohl to be given a start in the engine room but there is another candidate to be moved into the centre of the pitch while also opening up several opportunities for mixing things up. Despite Everton losing 1-0 to Roma in their inaugural first team game in front of fans at Hill Dickinson, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, made an explosive debut for the Blues just three days after signing from Chelsea.
The Nottingham-born player has been operating in the number 10 role since but if you check his career statistics on transfermarkt, he has actually only played there on 31 occasions, whereas he’s turned out 239 times in a deeper central role. If Dewsbury-Hall was moved back there, enabling him to carry the ball upfield from deep with his dribbling, Everton could switch to a 4-3-3.
Alternatively, if he is deployed there as part of a two-man combination, then there is scope further forward to look at various options. Charly Alcaraz could be brought back in to play in the number 10 role that he’s looked most effective in, or maybe Jack Grealish could go there, enabling Iliman Ndiaye to revert to the left-wing role from which he was so prolific last season.
In turn, this would potentially create an opening on the opposite flank where Tyler Dibling, the biggest signing of the summer, could come into the side. Whether it happens now, or later in the season when Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye are set to depart for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Senegal, then these are the type of changes we could see going forward as the campaign develops.
Joe Thomas
Chris has covered many of the options available to Moyes and it would make no sense to repeat them. I think it might be a good idea to look at Everton’s defence in more detail but Sunderland will be a tough game in which Premier League experience will be crucial as it is where the Blues hold their greatest advantage over the Mackems. Monday night is a match Everton should avoid overthinking and keeping the same defence makes more sense to me than changing it.
The one change I would make for the Stadium of Light is in the attacking midfield. I am open to Carlos Alcaraz being given greater opportunities and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall dropping deeper. But I don’t think either solves the problem of predictability around Everton’s use of Grealish and Ndiaye, both of whom are doubled up on and, to some extent (they are still creating dangerous chances) being contained.
So, to create something different for Sunderland to deal with, I would move Ndiaye to the left - his favoured position. And I would move Grealish to the #10 role. He can go both ways and with runners either side of him, would have more options than he currently does. I really want to see how Grealish and Ndiaye - Everton’s two greatest attacking minds - combine together when they can pop the ball off each other. This also allows me to play Tyler Dibling on the right. I believe Everton’s best chance of progress in their attack is to get Dibling firing and he won’t do that without minutes. Unleash him at Sunderland and with Grealish supplying for him and see what he can do.