The ECHO's Everton writers attempt to find a solution to the injuries and suspensions that will leave David Moyes with a real challenge on Saturday against Nottingham Forest
David Moyes during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Everton. Photo by David Horton - CameraSport via Getty Images
David Moyes during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Everton. Photo by David Horton - CameraSport via Getty Images
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David Moyes may well have an unenviable task when he attempts to select his Everton team for Nottingham Forest. Already without the suspended Idrissa Gueye, he is now without Tim Iroegbunam after the midfielder collected his fifth booking of the season in the memorable win at Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
There are also questions over whether Michael Keane will be fit and whether Nathan Patterson is ready for first-team minutes after a months-long lay-off.
What, then, is the Everton manager to do? Here, the ECHO's Blues writers attempt to navigate the tricky path to choosing an XI for the return of Sean Dyche. Buckle up for a wild ride...
Chris Beesley
With David Moyes admitting that he still doesn’t know whether Michael Keane will be fit for Everton to face Nottingham Forest, let’s presume that Jake O’Brien will be continuing at centre-back.
Regardless of whether Keane – who has been the Blues’ most consistent defensive performer so far this season – is available, O’Brien was outstanding in his natural position on Tuesday, putting in a dominant man-of-the-match display and earning a 9 in my player ratings, to inspire Everton to a 1-0 win over Bournemouth for what was their first ever Premier League success at the Vitality Stadium.
The Republic of Ireland international would no doubt be motivated to put in another strong performance against his former manager Sean Dyche who failed to hand him a Premier League start despite his £16.43million fee to Olympique Lyonnais making him the Blues’ biggest buy of 2024.
So, while O’Brien might not be able to move to right-back – where he has mostly been deployed since Moyes gave him his back chance – ideally you don’t want James Garner there either because with Tim Iroegbunam now suspended like Idrissa Gueye, the Birkenhead-born player is required in the engine room. It would be wrong to say that Garner is Everton’s only natural central midfielder available, though.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has spent most of this season in a more advanced role as a ‘number 10’ but he did well from a deeper position in Dorset and as he told this correspondent when asked about that after the game: “My most natural position is a box-to-box number eight. I’ll play anywhere the manager wants me, but most of my career I’ve played as a number eight, so I feel comfortable there.”Given that Seamus Coleman is still injured, this all adds up to a dramatic first start of the season at right-back for the fit-again Nathan Patterson who was an unused substitute against the Cherries.
Given that the Scotland international faced the ignominy of having Ben Godfrey regularly picked ahead of him under Dyche, and often O’Brien under Moyes, Patterson will also have a big point to prove here if selected.My team (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, O’Brien, Mykolenko; Garner, Dewsbury-Hall; Ndiaye, Alcaraz, Grealish; Barry.
Joe Thomas
Is it cheating if I work on the basis that Michael Keane is fit? It probably is but it would save me a lot of trouble if he could return and allow Jake O'Brien to move to right back and James Garner into the middle.
For the sake of some fun, let us assume Keane is not available. I would be surprised if Moyes felt comfortable risking Nathan Patterson given he only returned to serious, full training this week. He was on the bench at Bournemouth but my understanding is had Keane been fit, Patterson would not have been involved at all - meaning a second keeper and two academy centre backs would likely have still been named in the squad ahead of him.
I am tempted by the idea of Carlos Alcaraz in the middle alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Could I do that and move Grealish to the 10 and have Ndiaye on the left and Tyler Dibling on the right? That would be a fascinating line-up, but might it be a little lightweight in the middle?
Personally, I think Garner has to be in the centre to add his experience and talent in the middle of the pitch, otherwise Everton could get out-fought as well as out-thought. So I would try something completely different to anything we have seen so far. Desperate times, and all that.
Dwight McNeil and Iliman Ndiaye both essentially played as wing-backs under Dyche. Could they, therefore, actually pick up those roles against Forest? I would try. This would allow me to keep O'Brien in the middle of the defence and Garner in the midfield, hopefully creating a solid core to a depleted side.
McNeil and Ndiaye would provide determined resistance out wide and Ndiaye is so adept at carrying the ball I believe he could still be an attacking threat. I would give him licence to push forward when Everton have the ball and ask McNeil to slot across and work as left back. His balls from deep could be useful.
Vitalii Mykolenko has played on the left of a back three for Ukraine, so I do not think this is alien territory for him. And I think Alcaraz would be willing to do some dirty work from a deeper position. I would also be interested to see how dangerous Grealish could be in the No.10.
I do not think it will come to this tomorrow, but the idea of this team does fascinate mate, so here goes...
My team (5-3-1-1): Pickford; Ndiaye, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, McNeil; Garner, Alcaraz, Dewsbury-Hall; Grealish; Barry.