Everton will look to build momentum in the league with a win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium on Saturday.
The Toffees won their last two home matches with a 2-0 scoreline, beating Brighton in the Premier League and Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup, respectively. Performance in both matches, historic firsts at Hill Dickinson Stadium, is bound to restore confidence after the Blues began the league season with a 1-0 loss to Leeds United at Elland Road.
Iliman Ndiaye continued his tryst with Everton folklore by becoming the first to score an official goal at their new waterfront stadium. James Garner, filling in at left-back, secured the three points with a spectacular strike against the Seagulls.
David Moyes will be looking to capitalise on the positive feeling and give his side the best possible platform as the club braces for a busy end to the transfer window.
Here are the major talking points before Everton face Wolves away from home:
All eyes on Tyler Dibling
Tyler Dibling is the name on the lips of most Evertonians since the highly-rated teenager completed his move before making his first appearance in Blue off the bench against Mansfield Town.
With the acquisition of Dibling, the Everton squad has a natural right winger for the first time since the departures of Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom. The 19-year-old Dibling was unfazed by the occasion of his debut, and all eyes will be on Moyes’ team sheet to ascertain whether he will start at Molineux.
Dibling brings a lot more balance to the starting XI, which had been lopsided until now. It will also be interesting to see how Moyes manages Jack Grealish and Ndiaye now with Dibling in the XI.
Against Brighton, Grealish started on the left while Ndiaye was forced to the right flank, away from his natural position on the left of the attack. Grealish, off the back of two great performances, could be deployed as a number 10, with Ndiaye and Dibling to his left and right, respectively.
Seamus Coleman to start his first league game since May?
Seamus Coleman famously led the Toffees out to the pitch for one final time at Goodison Park’s farewell in May before sustaining an injury a few minutes into the game. The Everton captain returned to the starting lineup for the cup game against Mansfield Town and lasted for 90 minutes for the first time since last August.
Coleman’s display at right-back was marked by intelligence and grit as he snuffed out chances and found solutions to problems. He also looked at ease going forward, contributing to the buildup and making passes into the final third. The 36-year-old also had a 100% tackle success rate against Mansfield Town, won all his aerial duels, and won six of his eight ground duels.
It won’t be surprising to see the Everton skipper make his first league start this season against Wolves on the back of a commanding performance in the last game.
More vital minutes for Harrison Armstrong
There has been much speculation about Harrison Armstrong’s future after the 18-year-old returned from his loan spell at Derby County this summer. He had a successful pre-season and after getting a few minutes in the dying embers of the league game against Brighton, Armstrong started against Mansfield Town.
He was probably the best player on the pitch that night and assisted both of Everton’s goals. The teenager had a passing accuracy of over 90%, created two big chances and also tested the opposition keeper with a shot from a tight angle. Armstrong also played a lovely through ball to Ndiaye late in the game and was unselfish in setting up Beto for the second goal.
The performance is bound to have left a strong impression on the manager and the midfielder deserves a handful of minutes against Wolves to prove that he can be a reliable option off the bench for Everton this season.
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