The first international break of the season comes to a close and for the first time in a long time it was a break that was welcomed by many Evertonians. 3 weeks into the new season and it’s much of the same frustrations both on and off the pitch for the blue half of Merseyside. 0 points on the board, no board on board to take a decision on a manager who is clearly reaching his limit with the fan-base. Add to that a would be owner, in John Textor, who compared being the owner of Everton to being President of the United States. You can’t say life is boring when you’re an Evertonian.
Back to the reality of the Premier League and life does not get any easier for Sean Dyche’s side as they travel to an Aston Villa side who already have 6 points on the board and are hoping to solidify their position as one of England’s Top 4 this season, following Unai Emery guiding them back to the Champions League last season.
If You Know Your History… Everton v Aston Villa Through the Years
Last season’s games against Aston Villa saw the good, the bad and the ugly of Everton. A good win at Villa Park in the League Cup, giving Aston Villa a rare home defeat. A bad 4-0 defeat in the League a couple weeks prior to that. Then a relatively uneventful 0-0 draw during a cold Sunday afternoon at Goodison Park. Aston Villa & Everton is the most played fixture in the top flight of English football (as almost all media outlets will tell you over the weekend) and has produced some cagey and also some eventful clashes. It’s worth noting that Everton haven’t won a league game at Villa Park since 2016.
In the Premier League era, Everton have played Aston Villa 52 times, with Villa coming away with 3 points on 23 of those occasions. Everton have secured the win just 12 times and the points have been shared 17 times.
Team News
Everton are set to be without new signing Amando Broja for the next few weeks with injury. Fellow new signing Mangala could feature. Captain Seamus Coleman is expected to be unavailable following his injury with Ireland during the international break. Patterson and Branthwaite remain unavailable through injury.
Ollie Watkins is expected to feature for Aston Villa tomorrow, after returning to fitness. Unai Emery confirmed they have no new injuries following the International Break. Mings and Kamara remain out with long-term injuries, while Bailey, Philogene & Cash are doubts.
What the Manager Says
Dyche on Aston Villa – “they invested and invested well. They are a good outfit that are learning. We’ve got to rely on us and giving a strong performance.”
Opposition View
Aston Villa fan Harry Pendleton gave his thoughts on Villa so far this season and his prediction for this weekend’s game against the Toffees…
HP on Aston Villa – “On the field, so far, so good, with the team rising to meet the fans’ high hopes in the early games. Fears following a poor pre-season have quickly been allayed, with convincing performances in away victories at West Ham and Leicester, while Arsenal were matched punch for punch most of the way; sadly, the adage of ‘take your chances when they come,’ came home to roost in that encounter.”
HP on this weekend’s game – “Everton will be looked at as a must bank three points. With an expectant home crowd, Villa will be looking to capitalize on a combination of a porous defence and an early season mental fragility, particularly that which was brutally exposed by the staggering turnaround against Bournemouth. A worrying start, but I would back Everton to steer clear of trouble by the end of the season.”
Everton Key Player
Illiman Ndiaye – The same pick I made for the game against Bournemouth. Creatively, Ndiaye is a must start right now for Everton. His directness and willingness to drive the ball forward is something that is otherwise lacking from the other attacking options available to Sean Dyche. Many fans believed the turning point in the game against Bournemouth came when Ndiaye was taken off the pitch. He is already being mentioned in the same breath as Richalison, when it comes to hard working attackers and he will be needed if Everton stand a chance of taking any points on Saturday.
One to Watch for Villa:
Amadou Onana– The story once again, could write itself this weekend for Everton. The polarizing Belgian already has 2 goals in the league for his new side, following his summer transfer from Everton. Off the pitch he has done a lot talking over the international break about his former club. He is a talented player, who without a doubt split the Everton fan-base. Hopefully he is kept in check this weekend.
Final Thoughts
It would be very easy to say that this weekend is a ‘must win’ and Dyche will have to bring the 3 points back to Merseyside. Whilst I think a win is needed for many reasons, I do also believe a strong performance is key. So far this season we are yet to see a complete performance. The games against Brighton and Tottenham were weak and sloppy in large spells. The game against Bournemouth was promising for 87 minutes but appalling game management meant we are yet to see points on the board and a performance to be proud of.
Prediction
2-0 Villa. For 87 minutes of the Bournemouth game my ‘2-0’ prediction looked set to be my first correct call of the season. We all know what happened next. I do believe we will put in a much more solid performance this weekend but I do also think Villa will have too much for us in the end. Depth in their squad and far less pressure on the home side will ultimately lead to them taking home the points. For me this weekend is about showing more fight, returning to a more ‘hard to beat’ side that we saw towards the end of last season. There will be easier games to come, the wins need to come from somewhere but I don’t see it starting this weekend.
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