Joe Thomas - Freshen up the full-backs
I would be tempted to make a few changes today. I don’t think the result against Liverpool should spark an overreaction, but it did highlight issues that have extended across the post-World Cup run and probably need addressing.
From what I saw of Leeds against Manchester United last week, the threat they pose comes from out wide. I thought Seamus Coleman and Vitalii Mykolenko both struggled to deal with Liverpool’s wide players and I would swap Mykolenko for Ben Godfrey and Coleman for Holgate
I think this would add legs and solidity to a defensive unit I think has to be left more vulnerable if Everton are to offer any kind of attacking threat. It would be unfair to judge Ellis Simms on his Anfield performance, he was left isolated and outnumbered throughout.
I think Sean Dyche needs to find a partnership among his limited attacking options and so I would go for Simms and Demarai Gray, who has been effective through the middle since Christmas, up top.
Abdoulaye Doucoure comes out of the side and I would line up 4-4-2, asking the defence and Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye to focus on breaking up and stopping Leeds in the hope it gives Alex Iwobi, Dwight McNeil, and the two forwards the chance to pose them problems.
My team (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Godfrey, Coady, Tarkowski, Holgate; McNeil, Gueye, Onana, Iwobi; Gray; Simms
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Chris Beesley - Time for two up top
Everton have netted the fewest goals in the Premier League but seemingly have to find a way to increase their scoring output without Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Draw your own conclusions to what Sean Dyche said about the Blues number nine in his pre-match press conference but the team might have to be without their main striker for some time which just reinforces the absolute folly and what looks a dereliction of duty in not adding to their attacking options last month during a transfer window in which all their relegation rivals strengthened.
So what can Everton do? They can start by playing two up top to try and get an extra forward-thinking player on the pitch for what is - despite what the manager might say in public - the most-important fixture of this season to date, after going 4-5-1 in Dyche's first couple of matches in charge.
Playing 4-4-2 was Dyche's bread and butter in almost a decade at Burnley and while his Everton predecessor Frank Lampard never used that formation, he did use Demarai Gray up front in a 5-3-2 and I'd stick the former Leicester City man back in as a foil to Ellis Simms as despite his lack of experience, I think the attack still needs a focal point that his size brings rather than the potential of having two small strikers in the shape of Gray and Neal Maupay.
On the subject of physicality I'd also stick a bit more into defence and draft in Ben Godfrey at left-back and Yerry Mina at centre-back to freshen things up.
My team (4-4-2): Pickford; Coleman, Godfrey, Mina, Tarkowski; McNeil, Gueye, Onana, Iwobi; Gray, Simms
Matt Jones - Get Godfrey involved
The desperately poor showing at Anfield on Monday has given Sean Dyche a mandate to make some significant changes to his Everton team against Leeds on Saturday.
Whether he does or not is another matter entirely.
You sense he won't deviate too far from the formula that upset Arsenal last time out at Goodison Park, although there is one obvious and detrimental change to make to that XI with Dominic Calvert-Lewin being injured yet again.
After being given the nod on Monday at Liverpool, it would be harsh to whip Ellis Simms straight out of the team. In theory, the young forward should get more support and better service against Everton's fellow relegation rivals. In theory.
Elsewhere, expect the majority of the team to remain the same - although it would not be a huge surprise to see Ben Godfrey brought into the XI to provide some extra athleticism. Vitalii Mykolenko has been struggling for weeks now and is probably due some time on the sidelines, meaning the out-of-sorts Conor Coady will likely just cling on to a shirt.
My team (4-1-4-1): Pickford; Coleman, Coady, Tarkowski, Godfrey; Gueye; Iwobi, Doucoure, Onana, McNeil; Simms
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