Everton have always baffled me when it comes to the League Cup and the annual irritation of seeing us wantonly fail in a competition we have never won meant I was gearing myself up for more frustration ahead of the game against Preston.
For too long we have thrown away the chance of lifting silverware by making wholesale changes, actively weakening our chances of success by fielding a second string.
In the lead-up to the game, David Moyes queried with the press whether a League Cup run would be wanted over staying in the Premier League and such ambitionless chat which makes little sense three years on from the club’s last relegation battle, had me feeling forlorn and exhaling with despondent breath.
What a relief it was then to see the Everton manager pick a strong starting eleven to face North End at Deepdale on Wednesday night.
I admit I winced at the sight of Michael Keane’s name in the starting line-up, a force of habit after nearly ten years of watching the defender, but it was so encouraging to see the Blues boss go forward with a near full-strength side.
It’s always irked me when an institution like Everton, without a trophy since 1995 and now experiencing its longest barren run in club history, would willingly play a second-choice goalkeeper in a winnable tournament. The other changes, giving fringe players an opportunity when Wembley was literally five or six games away, would drive me up the wall. Why head in to a critical knockout fixture purposely below your highest standard?
It seemed so daft to follow a trend created 25 years ago by Champions League regulars who cared little for the League Cup and could still progress using their second string. I can still recall Arsene Wenger’s young guns at Arsenal sweeping us aside in November 2004. They could afford to make sacrifices. Everton, in the search of silverware, shouldn’t want to.
In an era when clubs will employ hundreds of data scientists to gain a 0.1% edge in the Premier League, it’s beyond me why the same teams will then stifle their chances of lifting a trophy by actively weakening the set up in the League Cup. Why diminish its value when success creates history and ensures the fanbase will remember you forever?
It’s for that reason I was so pleased to see Moyes opt to play most of his best players. Sticking with Jordan Pickford in goal especially set the tone.
The goalkeeper loves football and his passion for the game assures me he’d hate to be sat on the bench and wants to be out there helping his team-mates.
Momentum is key in football and that’s why Everton should always stick with their best team. Wednesday’s 4–0 victory over North End, just two games in, can have a hugely positive impact on the whole campaign.
The victory has ensured the positivity felt after beating Palace on the opening day has been allowed to grow into another matchday. Too many times, the Toffees erroneous League Cup decisions have punctured morale and caused genuine setbacks to seasons. Just take last year; the dismal showing at Molineux against winless Wolves derailed the good track Everton had been on.
It’s about the individuals too. Thierno Barry grabbed a hat-trick at Deepdale, following on from his header against Palace and now, when he walks out at Bournemouth on Saturday, the French striker will feel ten tall.
Imagine, had he dropped to the bench after his goal against Palace, the chance to take his tally to four goals wouldn’t have existed. That’s his tally though now, four in two, and it will do wonders for his belief heading into future games.
The likes of Tyler Dibling and Adam Aznou were afforded opportunities alongside first-team regulars like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye and it’s these experiences that will aid their development. No player improved sitting on the bench.
David Moyes got it right at Preston. The side was managed perfectly and got the result required.
The Everton boss picked a strong team, it did its job and the Blues are through to the next round. No weakening of the side and thus, no dramas. As it should be.
_An Everton season ticket holder and football writer, you can subscribe to all of Ell Bretland's work at [https://ellbretland.substack.com](https://ellbretland.substack.com/)_
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