The central midfielder has been used out of position several times since his return from Preston - Moyes has his reasons
David Moyes and Harrison Armstrong during Everton's defeat to Manchester United
David Moyes and Harrison Armstrong during Everton's defeat to Manchester United(Image: (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images))
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It was a scene that felt telling at the time but which has taken on greater significance in the weeks since.
One goal ahead and on top against an in-form Bournemouth side, David Moyes stood in animated conversation with Harrison Armstrong in front of the Hill Dickinson Stadium dugout.
There could be little doubt what the topic of their discussion was. Everton held a deserved but fragile lead and the dangerous Rayan was just starting to find space down the Blues’ left. Moyes wanted his teenage starlet to sort that out.
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The ball, however, would not drop out of play. With slow motion predictability Rayan exploited the uncertainty between Vitalii Mykolenko and Tyrique George and charged into the box, gaining the momentum over Mykolenko and meeting Adrien Truffert’s back post cross to level the score.
In the moments that followed, Everton collapsed. Minutes later they were losing and chasing the game with 10 men after Amine Adli put the visitors in front and was then brought to the ground by Jake O’Brien when otherwise through on goal.
It was a loss that hurt Moyes. The disappointment stretching beyond the extension of the winless home streak to six games and to genuine frustration that Everton had conceded important ground to Bournemouth in the hunt to qualify for Europe.
It was a defeat that had repercussions. Mykolenko was dropped the following game, the narrow home defeat to Manchester United. Bournemouth remains the only start handed to Chelsea loanee George, who has been reduced to bit-part cameos since.
It was also a snapshot into Moyes’ thinking on an issue that returned to relevance on Saturday, against Arsenal. With just minutes to play, Moyes decided to introduce fresh legs to finish what had been a superb display that was set to yield a point from a game about which few could have complained had Everton won.
Instead, the changes disrupted Everton’s resistance and Arsenal scored not once but twice to put one hand on the Premier League title.
The decision to introduce Armstrong out wide was not necessarily a surprise. He had started out on the left of the midfield in the draw at Brighton and on the right in the win at Fulham. Each of those decisions raised eyebrows, not least because of the more natural wide attackers Moyes has at his disposal, George and Tyler Dibling, the most expensive signing of a busy summer, among the most prominent. The answer over Moyes’ approach is simple though, and was demonstrated in those frustrating seconds in which the game at Bournemouth turned on its head - Moyes has been impressed by Armstrong’s understanding of the game. Despite his youth the 19-year-old is perceived as being a mature figure who can take on instructions and follow them during a game. That is not to say that others cannot but Moyes has often opted for caution since Jack Grealish’s injury, seeking to use players whose defensive attributes he feels he can rely on during games in which he knows his wingers will have to work in both directions.
Armstrong, who had played across an array of midfield positions with real success in Championship loan spells at Derby County and Preston, is happy to sacrifice his attacking instincts for the good of the team, explaining to club media in January, after he was recalled from Deepdale: “I'm a team player, so whatever my abilities and whatever versions of myself I can give each game, I'm willing to do that.”
He added: “I think different positions, different formations and different styles can suit me at times. I can be effective going forward but I can also be effective defensively, as well.”
Moyes also likes to have a wide player who is happy to drift inside and crowd the middle of the pitch when Everton are under pressure, too. Given the strength the team has at defending crosses into the box, there are times when he is willing to sacrifice a player out wide to offer more protection through the middle - something both Armstrong and Dwight McNeil, who has started the last three games out wide, tend to do.
For former Everton defender Alan Stubbs, it is not all about his defensive work, either. He told the ECHO recently: “I think it speaks volumes that he can play out wide even though he wouldn’t necessarily see himself in that role, he’s a different type of wide player.
“He’s one of those who is going to cut inside and play little balls into strikers and into the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in pockets of space as he’s got a football brain. I see him as a six or an eight eventually.”
Paul Heckingbottom, Preston boss, typically used him in the central positions Stubbs identified Armstrong as being best suited to. He too was impressed by Armstrong’s ability to get around the pitch and have an influence whatever he was tasked with. Speaking to the ECHO during Armstrong’s loan spell, he said: “He's got real good athleticism. “He can get around the pitch, he can cover ground at pace, he can carry the ball well, he is determined to get on the ball, he also competes really well, so defensively he helps the team as well."
Armstrong is now finding his feet at Everton and that might take time, but Moyes is now clear the England youth international can be trusted and, while his use of Armstrong out wide has had mixed success, it is a tactic he may use with other players - just like centre back Jake O’Brien grew into the team on the right of the defence under Moyes, he is open to doing the same further up the pitch not just with Armstrong, but with Merlin Rohl too.