Everton (H) 3pm Saturday 9th November (not on TV)

edited November 6 in Match Threads
Just for a change I'm going to start with us

No Kudus, no Alvarez, no Fullkrug

Hopefully Tommy Soucek is fit, hopefully we don't play three at the back and hopefully Antonio starts!

Normal service will now resume

Everton haven't had their worst start to a season (that was 1994-95 when they went 12 games without a win) but its not been great with just two wins (Palace, Ipswich) and three draws.

In his defence Dyche has had a few injuries to deal with although surprisingly Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn't one of them!

He's one of just four players to start all 10 league matches along with key player Dwight McNeil (top with 3 goals and 3 assists), Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski.

Jarrad Branthwaite, subject of transfer speculation in the summer, has been struggling with a thigh issue but has had a few minutes from the bench in the last two matches. With Ben Godfrey gone to Atalanta Michael Keane has started alongside Tarkowski and picked up a fourth yellow card at the weekend. 23yo CB Jake O'Brien, signed from Lyon for £16.4m and won his first full Irish caps in August, is another option on the bench.

On the left of defence Vitali Mykolenko has started eight while on the right Ashley Young, who celebrated his 39th birthday in July, has been preferred to Nathan Patterson, recovered from the hamstring he picked up in April, and 36yo club captain Seamus Coleman, back from a thigh problem.

In the centre of midfield its been a bit thin, Amadou Onana, once linked with West Ham, left for Villa after just two seasons at Goodison while James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam, signed from Villa for £9m, are both long term injuries. Abdoulaye Doucoure was unavailable last weekend with a minor knock which left Idrissa Gueye and Orel Mangala who arrived on loan from Lyon just 8 weeks after he joined from Nottingham Forest

Either side of Dwight McNeil CF Iliman Ndiaye, signed from Marseille for £15m a year after he left Sheffield United for £20m, has been playing on the left while Jack Harrison and Denmark's Jesper Lindstrom, on loan from Napoli, have been rotated on the right

Apart from Calvert-Lewin the only option up front is Beto who has only had 6 substitute appearances in the league

Neal Maupay is on loan at Marseille (hooray) and Armando Broja has been injured since his deadline day loan from Chelsea (because having just one sicknote striker isn't enough).

Starting XI against Saints last weekend

Pickford
Young Tarkowski Keane Mykolenko
Gueye Mangala
Lindstrom McNeil Ndiaye
Calvert-Lewin

But could be...

Pickford
Patterson Tarkowski Branthwaite Mykolenko
Gueye Doucoure
Harrison McNeil Ndiaye
Calvert-Lewin

As for their worst start to the season Everton finally got three points on 1st November against us

Comments

  • Team can only be…

    Fabiański
    Wan-Bissaka - Todibo - Kilman - Emerson
    Souček - Rodríguez
    Bowen - Paquetá - Summerville
    Ings
Sign In or Register to comment.