Everton suffered a disappointing draw away to Sunderland on Monday night, and David Moyes has plenty to answer for after their performance.
The result for the Toffees wasn't the issue. Drawing against Sunderland, under the lights, considering the form they are in, is far from a disgrace. The newly promoted side have enjoyed an impressive start to the season, but some of the decisions Moyes made and the overall performance deserve scrutiny.
Everton produced some important results in the opening few weeks of the campaign, but their form has taken a dip over the last eight games. During that time, Moyes' side have picked up just one win, and that was a late Jack Grealish winner, despite Crystal Palace looking the more threatening throughout.
Moyes Has Some Major Everton Issues to Solve
David Moyes
David Moyes
Moyes might not be in any immediate danger of being sacked, but the Scottish manager might have to be careful, considering the ruthlessness The Friedkin Group have shown at Roma previously. Results need to improve, and fast, and Moyes has some issues which he needs to resolve and think about over the coming weeks and months.
A lot has been spoken about the Everton striker situation, which is undoubtedly a problem at the moment, but there are some bigger problems he needs to contend with. Moyes' handling of young players has been far from ideal so far.
Adam Aznou, a young left-back who was playing senior football in La Liga last season, has barely had a sniff since joining. He might not be ready to start every week, but he showed in Spain that he's capable of playing senior football, and undoubtedly deserves more minutes, with Vitalii Mykolenko hardly pulling up any trees.
Tyler Dibling hasn't got on the pitch in the last two matches, and when he has previously, it's been a cameo appearance in the final minutes of games usually. Everton spent a hefty amount of money in the summer on the former Southampton youngster, but he's in danger of seeing his development halted.
Thierno Barry needs a run of games in order to get used to the league, but it seems if he doesn't score, his performance is irrelevant, with Moyes regularly bringing him off early in games if he's given a rare start. Merlin Rohl was also an unused substitute against Sunderland, and it seems if you're a young player at Everton, you're barely going to get a chance to impress.
Tyler Dibling Watches on From the Bench again
tyler dibling
As mentioned, Dibling was an unused substitute against Sunderland for the second game in a row. With Iliman Ndiaye coming off injured, it was the perfect chance to give Everton's most expensive signing of the summer window some minutes. Instead, Moyes opted for the more experienced Dwight McNeil.
McNeil has shown he's a useful player over the last few years at Everton, but he's done little this season to deserve to be playing over a highly talented youngster. Again, this goes back to the lack of trust in young talents, and the substitution against Sunderland was a baffling one.
Moyes has bigged up the impact of Dibling in training, but he was nowhere to be seen as the Toffees produced just one shot in the second half. How is a player supposed to develop without any game time? Dibling's development is at risk of stalling, and Moyes needs to bite the bullet and start showing faith in Dibling.
It could cause a knock-on effect in the future, with young stars potentially staying well clear of Everton due to his handling of young players.
Long-Term Iliman Ndiaye Issue
ndiaye
Ndiaye has undoubtedly been Everton's standout player this season, and his ability to produce goals from absolutely nothing, as seen against Sunderland, has saved the Toffees on multiple occasions. Everton struggled to create many meaningful chances against Sunderland, with Ndiaye's goal completely out of nowhere in terms of how he picked up the ball on the touchline, beating multiple players before curling into the top corner.
Moyes needs to find a way of creating more chances with this side, as he's not going to have Ndiaye to save him soon. The Senegalese international heads off to the African Cup of Nations in the winter, and with Dibling barely getting a look in, Moyes needs to find a solution.
Considering what they paid for him, and the fact that Dibling has Premier League experience, he would be the obvious solution, but he needs to be ready in time for Ndiaye's departure. Moyes needs to find a solution ahead of time, making sure Dibling, or even McNeil if that's his choice, is fit and ready to go for when AFCON begins.
Moyes needs to pull his finger out, as TFG won't be waiting too long if results continue to decline.