With four important players sidelined, Everton faces a daunting job against Crystal Palace.
Everton will play Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Monday night to resume Premier League action.
Last time out, Manchester City defeated the Blues 2-0, with two goals from Erling Haaland in the second half. Sean Dyche’s team is now in the relegation zone as a result of the loss.
Away from the field, American investment company 777 Partners is still waiting to hear back from the Premier League over its proposed acquisition. In light of all of this, our Everton jury has reconvened to offer its opinions on issues both on and off the field.
In their match against Manchester City, last Saturday’s outcome was as most Blues had anticipated.
The team played with determination, but when Erling Haaland scored after 70 minutes, there could only be one result. And there was never going to be a comeback from Everton!
Thankfully, last weekend’s losses for Luton Town, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace prevented our nearest relegation rivals from gaining an edge from the setback at the Etihad.
Everton was disciplined defensively and well-organized, but they never seemed to have a chance to score. For Sean Dyche, this is proving to be a serious issue. His usual tactic is to restrain the opposition, but we will never be able to reply if they score first.
The Toffees have only managed six goals in their previous 10 games, and our striker has not scored in 18 games and doesn’t appear to be very close to breaking that streak.
One may sympathize with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who often finds himself on his own and without help up front.
It seems like a lifetime ago when Carlo Ancelotti instructed him to remain in the penalty area and wait for passes from James Rodriguez and accurate crosses from Lucas Digne. But how much longer can Dyche continue to use a striker who isn’t working out?
Throughout the entire campaign, Everton has struggled with a lack of creative spark. While a squad of well-trained drones can keep you competitive, winning contests requires creativity and ingenuity. How can players express themselves more when playing a more attacking style?
Everton has only managed three points from their previous seven Premier League games and has not won any of them. The manager needs to simply take more chances with his team’s tactics and lineup for the match against Crystal Palace.
Draws at home against clubs in the drop zone are no longer acceptable, particularly if any of the teams battling for survival have a victory over the weekend. Abdoulaye Doucoure’s comeback would be very beneficial, but if he is not playing, we will need a backup plan.
Which among Lewis Dobbin, Arnaut Danjuma, and Youssef Chermiti should start, if any? We need goals so badly that I might even start Michael Keane up front!
To spark the crowd and create the win and goals we so sorely need, we must be daring against Crystal Palace and summon some enchanted moments of flair and creativity. It’s time for a show at Goodison Park that will make Evertons swoon and go home.
The Blues’ trip to Manchester City was always going to be an enormous job, and it turned out to be just that.
Though the final result was 2-0, there were still a lot of encouraging aspects. First, Everton’s solid defense and rigid structure limited the Champions to little opportunities.
Regretfully, Erling Haaland’s strong finish undid all of the hard work, and he went on to double his tally as a result of Kevin de Bruyne’s vision, which opened up an otherwise strong Everton defense. Although it wasn’t to be at the Etihad, Everton may have merited a point at the end of the match.
Other than the occasional half-chance, there wasn’t much more to analyze from the performance. When Jack Harrison took a chance in the first half, perhaps he could have done better.
Let’s go on to Crystal Palace; this match is crucial for Everton in their struggle to survive in the Premier League. When Palace visits Goodison Park on Monday, it is anticipated that Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, and Michael Olise would not be there. The visiting team is an unconfident, unenthusiastic group. Everton has to seize the opportunity and will be strengthened by Abdoulaye Doucoure’s anticipated comeback, who will still be evaluated.
Regarding selection, Doucoure, if healthy, returns to the 10-role, freeing up Jack Harrison to take his place on the right wing and Dwight McNeil on the other flank. For the only reason of his offensive ability and progressiveness next to James Garner, I would choose Amadou Onana over Idrissa Gana Gueye in such a crucial match.
Since the defense outperformed Manchester City, it’s possible that the starting back four will remain the same. The importance of this game cannot be overstated; Everton’s squad should feel more confident after watching Chelsea demolish Palace.
Let’s pause for a moment to consider Saturday’s away game against Manchester City while we all wait impatiently for the resolution of the appeal against the ten-point deduction.
There were no real surprises in the game, other than maybe how tough Everton occasionally made it for the hosts. It took the unstoppable Erling Haaland 71 minutes to break the deadlock after Pep Guardiola’s team had more shots in the first half without finding the back of the net than they have since November 2019. Five minutes remaining, the Norwegian doubled his score and sealed the victory, giving Jarrad Brathwaite an uncommonly shaky appearance in the process.
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