Joe Thomas - Blues need to surprise Brighton
Everton need to try something different today. I’m not sure there is a side better set up to exploit the Blues’ vulnerabilities than Brighton.
They ooze with confidence and threaten from everywhere - most notably through Kaoru Mitoma, who on the left wing will be primed to hit Everton where they have struggled so much recently, the right side of defence. Nathan Patterson did well when he came on at Leicester City and I think he’s the right player to deputise for Seamus Coleman in the long term. I still have in mind his struggles against Mitoma at Goodison Park though.
That is why I’m going down an unexpected route here. I would play five at the back, and I would have Alex Iwobi as right wing back and Dwight McNeil on the left. Both are defensively sound - and have been relied upon to do a lot of work defensively under Dyche. Why not start them further back, where their work ethic can shine and from where they can still deliver going forward, particularly by supplying Dominic Calvert-Lewin from deep?
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In the middle I bring in Yerry Mina alongside James Tarkowski and Conor Coady. In midfield I play James Garner, who I think has been tidy since getting his chance, alongside disrupters Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye. Calvert-Lewin leads the line and Demarai Gray, possibly the one player who can produce a moment of magic, is given the freedom to buzz around behind him and find pockets of space that could be targeted on the counter.
This is experimental but I think Everton’s best chance of getting something from this game is by trying something different.
My team (5-3-2): Pickford; McNeil, Tarkowski, Mina, Coady, Iwobi; Onana, Garner, Gueye; Gray, Calvert-Lewin
Chris Beesley - Coady to come in
There could be changes both in defence and midfield for Everton as they head down to Brighton & Hove Albion for what could be a pivotal day in the fight for Premier League survival.
With a 5:30pm kick-off, Sean Dyche's men appear to be the main course on the Bank Holiday relegation battle menu, sandwiched between Fulham v Leicester City at 3pm and then Nottingham Forest v Southampton at 8pm but they must hope they're not torn by the Seagulls on the Sussex coast like like a discarded fish supper tossed from the pier.
A big part of just how resolute Everton are surrounds the personnel they deploy at the back with question marks again over Michael Keane after 36-year-old Jamie Vardy rolled back the years to torment him at the King Power a week ago and following a difficult sequence of matches, I'd take him out of the firing line and restore Conor Coady who can also offer some much-needed leadership in captain Seamus Coleman's absence through injury.
Losing the Irishman in his first game back last time out was a bitter blow to Blues but after seemingly preferring anyone but Nathan Patterson at right-back including Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate who both endured torrid times, Dyche praised the young Scot after last Monday's game so he gets the nod here. Meanwhile, James Garner deputised well for Amadou Onana in central midfield but with Everton's biggest signing of last summer now having recovered fully from illness, he comes back into the side with expectations on him to start doing more now that the games are running out.
My team (4-5-1): Pickford; Patterson, Mykolenko, Coady, Tarkowski; Gueye, Doucoure, Onana, Iwobi, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin
Matt Jones - Defence must change
Everton manager Sean Dyche made it clear - with both his lack of substitutions and his subsequent comments about the game - that he was pretty content with the way the team performed in the 2-2 draw against Leicester City. As a result, it would be a surprise if there were too many changes to the XI that finished the game at the King Power Stadium.
Whether there should be or not is another matter entirely.
The main talking point is still Michael Keane. Despite Dyche's robust defence of the England international, Everton's defensive output has diminished since his return to the side and Keane’s evident lack of confidence also appears to be making those around him jittery.
Removing the centre-back from the XI would not immediately transform Everton into a defensive juggernaut by any means, but a manager who has preached consistently about standards and accountability must surely be tempted to act?
Without Seamus Coleman, Everton will require an injection of leadership. Yerry Mina and Conor Coady would both provide that - given he’s a superior defender, the nod should be given to the former, although not getting any minutes under Dyche to this point means that looks very unlikely.
Elsewhere, the only other likely change could come in midfield, where Amadou Onana is fit again. James Garner has stepped in for the young Belgian in recent weeks and performed to a decent level, giving Everton some much-needed composure on the ball.
However, given Brighton are likely to dominate possession and Everton will likely try to scrape something together from a set piece, Onana’s defensive qualities and physical presence feel like they’ll be needed more than Garner’s comfort in possession.
My team (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Patterson, Mina, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Onana, Gueye, McNeil, Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin
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