Everton midfielder James Garner may have just suggested one of his teammates is not offering David Moyes enough in his starting XI.
The game on Sunday was a frustrating one for all at Everton, with many feeling that the scoreline did not reflect how the Blues actually played.
Moyes thought as much, with the 62-year-old admitting there was actually a lot that pleased him in the 3-0 defeat.
“It wasn’t a 3-0, but it ended up 3-0 because we didn’t defend our set pieces well enough. I thought we did a lot of positive things, but it wasn’t a positive result, which is what we were after,” Moyes said after the game.
Former defender Alan Stubbs wants to see Everton defend better from set pieces following two goals from Tottenham corners.
There could be even more defensive improvements required from Moyes ahead of Monday’s trip to the high-flying Sunderland.
Following the Spurs loss, Garner has suggested that he was moved around during the game to offer Moyes more in another position.
Everton v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
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James Garner hints at David Moyes’ Everton demands for Jake O’Brien
After a bright start to the season, Moyes has urged England to select Garner following some impressive displays at full-back.
The midfielder was pushed to right-back during the game to fill in for Jake O’Brien who was replaced by Merlin Rohl.
Speaking to Everton’s media team, Garner has shared what Moyes wanted to see after moving him out to the right-back spot.
“I think the manager recognised there might be a bit of a space for me to get on the ball a little bit more. I think that was the reason for me to go into right-back,” said the 24-year-old.
“It was tough. They stuck their wingers right in front of our wingers to try to stop them getting on the ball. That’s where we’ll work on a little bit – playing through the lines and finding different routes to get it to our danger men rather than just going straight to the source.”
Moyes agreed O’Brien’s goal was correctly disallowed shortly after Micky Van de Ven opened the scoring for the visitors.
But it seems as if there may be some concerns that the Ireland international is not providing enough attacking support during open play.
Jake O’Brien must offer more attacking support for Everton
James Tarkowski hinted at O’Brien being to blame for the defeat against Manchester City the other week at the Etihad Stadium.
The Ireland international is playing out of his natural position due to the lack of options currently at right-back for Moyes to choose from.
There is a belief that Everton will look to sign a new right-back in the January window; one who can provide more in an attacking sense.
Darren Bent feels O’Brien looks unnatural at right-back given his lack of attacking intent during open play.
The 24-year-old was withdrawn after 66 minutes for Rohl, who went on to impress in the Everton midfield after Garner slotted in at right-back.
66 minutes played
0/3 accurate crosses
0 key passes
9/15 accurate passes in opposition half
0 dribbles attempted
Everton are very heavily reliant on Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish, with neither full-back doing much to provide any creativity in attack.
Moyes will be left with an interesting decision ahead of Monday after another strong performance from the versatile Garner.