Our Everton writers have their say after manager David Moyes' team selection for Monday's 1-0 home loss to Manchester United generated fierce debated among supporters
Everton manager David Moyes picked James Garner, Jarrad Branthwaite and Harrison Armstrong all out of their favoured position against Manchester United
Everton manager David Moyes picked James Garner, Jarrad Branthwaite and Harrison Armstrong all out of their favoured position against Manchester United
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Everton manager David Moyes is continuing with putting square pegs in round holes when it comes to selecting some of his players outside of their natural positions.
For Monday's 1-0 home loss to Manchester United, midfielder James Garner started at right-back, centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite at left-back, and midfielder Harrison Armstrong on the wing.
But is this a worthwhile strategy? Amid big fan debate, the ECHO’s Blues writers have their say...
Chris Beesley
I don’t think David Moyes wants to select players outside of their best or most favoured positions, but the fact he keeps doing so with certain individuals is rather damning towards those who are being overlooked. Back in January 2022, just days before he was sacked, Rafael Benitez brought both Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson to Goodison Park for a combined outlay of almost £30million.
Neither of them have come close to reaching the levels of the full-back pair – arguably the best of the modern era at the club – that graced the Everton side at the end of Moyes’ first spell in charge, Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman. With very little competition for his shirt, Mykolenko has more or less been a regular in the side since his move from Dynamo Kyiv, but with the player about to enter the final four months of his current contract, the decision to drop him against Manchester United with Jarrad Branthwaite preferred at left-back should, in the words of ECHO columnist Michael Ball, act as a wake-up call to the Ukraine international.
On the other side of defence, Patterson has fared even worse. Successive managers, Sean Dyche with Ben Godfrey, and now Moyes with Jake O’Brien, have preferred to select centre-backs ahead of him for a prolonged period. The Scotland international was close to joining Genoa on transfer deadline day of the winter window but with fellow Glaswegian Moyes admitting that the club has been actively searching for a right-back for over a year, Patterson’s days at Hill Dickinson Stadium look numbered.
Moyes’ decision to deploy O’Brien, who failed to start a Premier League match under Dyche, was a canny way of getting the big money summer signing from Olympique Lyonnais into the side some 13 months ago. Given that his suspension against the Red Devils would have been the perfect opportunity to play Patterson, but instead the manager chose to move another non-right-back across instead in the shape of James Garner, who – like wherever he’s been asked to play this season – did a fine job, suggesting that the former Rangers man really is surplus to requirements.
As well as Garner did, I’d expect him to revert to his preferred role in central midfield, but Moyes’ policy is shaped around getting the best players onto the pitch. That’s why Harrison Armstrong has currently being shunted out to the wing.
Less than a month before he was recalled early from his season long loan at Preston North End, Everton chiefs weren’t sure where the teenage prospect’s best position was, and they still might not be now. However, he’s showing more than Tyler Dibling, Dwight McNeil and the now injured Charly Alcaraz, who cost the Blues around £67.5million between them and that’s why he’s in the side.
Joe Thomas
When I saw the starting line-up for Manchester United, I winced. Not because I necessarily disagreed with it, but because I knew the inquest that might follow in the event of a defeat.
In the end, while a loss did materialise, the performance was generally decent and the fallout has not been so bad as I expected. But there is clear frustration with some of David Moyes’ decisions and I can understand both sides of the argument.
Let me start with the case for square pegs in round holes. I don’t think you can exaggerate the frustration and disappointment Moyes felt after the loss to Bournemouth. Everton were in a good position in that match - they had the lead and had started the second half well. As the Cherries looked to establish a foothold it quickly became clear that Rayan was their best opportunity for that. From my vantage point high in the West Stand I could see the vast amount of space being afforded to the teen winger and the blind spot he was exploiting as neither Vitalii Mykolenko nor Tyrique George took responsibility for tracking him.
Moyes, too, was alive to this. At the same time, I could see him standing with Harrison Armstrong with the midfielder ready to come on when the ball went out of play. His manager was pointing to the left flank and appeared to be directing Armstrong to go and sort out the emerging threat.
Unfortunately, in that time Bournemouth found the equaliser and, lo and behold, it was through Rayan. I think that was the latest defensive mishap to scar Moyes and the movement of Jarrad Branthwaite and Harrison Armstrong to the left against Man United was a direct reaction to that. I don’t think it was a bad one, necessarily. Armstrong in particular did well and Everton largely contained the threat of a side that has frailties but no shortage of expensively assembled talent.
Neither of these are changes Moyes would have wanted to make - Jack Grealish’s injury has opened up the chasm on the left wing and Mykolenko has struggled for form in recent weeks. I can see why he started both where he did, and I think he was largely vindicated by a reasonable performance.
The same can be said for James Garner at right-back. He too played well and helped to contain a dangerous side. I think there is a solid argument to say Garner is the best right-back at the club and if the Blues had greater options in midfield I would feel more comfortable advocating his continued use there.
My frustration with those calls on Monday is less that I think they were the wrong use of what Moyes had at his disposal and more that I still struggle to understand why Everton have failed to address the longstanding right-back problem in either of the last two windows. And at left back, the decision to sign Adam Aznou remains curious given the gulf Moyes seems to think lies between him and a starting berth.
I can, as I state above, see a case for each of the decisions in isolation. The problem is when you put a series of them together - all of a sudden the side is pitched too awkwardly in too many places. And I do think Moyes has to move away from sacrificing two of his best players to still make the Blues lesser than the sum of their parts. Garner may be the best-right back option but he is also one of the best central midfielders in the league this season so far. He should remain there.
I think Michael Keane has had a good season and I think Mykolenko has underwhelmed recently, but I do think Branthwaite has to start at centre-back. He does improve James Tarkowski and Mykolenko when he is there and his pace may have enabled him to thwart Bryan Mbuemo for the goal. Armstrong played very well but what little attacking threat Everton do possess is diminished by not having two wingers on the pitch and, if you play Mykolenko, you can offer the winger a bit more freedom given the defender’s caution.
I think there is a point to which Moyes is damned either way. He was criticised after the Bournemouth game when he played Branthwaite at centre-back and two natural wingers. He is now receiving criticism for having addressed the issues that proved costly that night against a team with more quality. There are plenty of supporters criticising Moyes for picking what they view to be a team set up for a draw, when the reason the Blues lost was because they were pushing so hard for a win.
For me, the changes on Monday made sense (though I would have started Nathan Patterson at right back) - or, at least, I feel I can see the sense in them. Moyes has had success at Brighton and Fulham with funky line-ups too.
The test will be what he does against Burnley. I can understand his approach on Monday and it nearly worked. But you can only really expect supporters to accept that at home if, when Everton are favourites, they take the handbrake off.
That, next week against the Clarets, would mean Branthwaite at centre-back, Patterson at right-back, two wingers and, on what I have seen recently, I would consider taking Idrissa Gueye out, dropping Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to an eight and introducing a different third central midfielder. Moyes can just about argue Monday was a sign of progression, he must now build on that when he has the chance.