Everton vs. Newcastle, Sean Dyche must make an extremely difficult choice that he has avoided making all season.
Everton vs. Newcastle, Sean Dyche must make an extremely difficult choice that he has avoided making all season.
Despite the disparate outcomes these two clubs have been getting, Everton will enter their matchup with Newcastle United on Saturday full of optimism.
After all, the Magpies have only lost once this season and have earned 11 points out of a possible 18,
despite not playing at their best, but the Toffees have just secured their first Premier League victory of the year.
But in front of a Goodison Park crowd that will be looking for a rematch of this matchup from the previous season,
it is these persistently subpar performances that will persuade Sean Dyche that his team has a chance.
Their chances of winning have significantly risen now Jarrad Branthwaite, who began in the victory over Crystal Palace last Saturday, has returned.
But a plethora of fresh faces are expected to give Dyche the worst selection headache this coming weekend.
Sean Dyche’s selection headache for Everton is gradually improving.
With Branthwaite, Dyche had no trouble at all upon his return.
The defender is listed first on the team sheet when healthy.
But they lack such surefire starters in midfield, and because of a number of absenteeisms this season,
they are compelled to play whoever is healthy.
This campaign, James Garner has been absent on a regular basis,
while Orel Mangala arrived at Everton with a fitness concern that needed to be addressed right away.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Idrissa Gana Gueye tragically lost his father,
making for an even more difficult few weeks for the team.
Tim Iroegbunam was thrown in, and the young man made an impression on everyone he was paired with. That is, even though he was benched recently.
Having seen Mangala and Abdoulaye Doucoure thus far shine as a double pivot,
Dyche now faces a genuinely pleasant selection dilemma.
Should he alter the formula that produced their first league victory to make room for more conventional players? Dyche will have to make this difficult choice for the first time this season.
Which Everton players can they expect to play against Newcastle United?
Nathan Patterson is one of the players who will benefit from a boost ahead of Saturday’s 5:30 pm kickoff.
On Monday, he played for the club’s U21s for just over an hour, which helped him accelerate his recuperation.
His injury is treated more cautiously than Branthwaite’s because it is significantly more serious,
but a bench position could be in the near future.
Leave a Reply