Okay, so mid-week was all a bit of an anti-climax wasn’t it? David Moyes returned to Goodison Park to a roaring reception and sadly the performance of his first XI of his second spell in charge couldn’t match that energy. Whilst in spells it was clear Everton were trying something different, it was ultimately the same story when it came to being able to create and take chances. I’d say ‘penny for David Moyes’ thoughts’ but the gaffer has been more than vocal since his arrival and has had some choice words in the press for the squad he has inherited. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, arguably the one named and shamed by the returning boss most. Many fans would say ‘about time’ with the forward missing a golden chance to rescue a point for the Blues on Wednesday night. There is a mountain to climb for Moyes and his players. A need to quickly climb up the league and behind the scenes players to evaluate, contracts to negotiate and signings to be made.
It does not get any easier for Everton, as they face Tottenham at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon. Ange Postecoglou’s side arrive on Merseyside out of sorts and in desperate need of a win. A long winless run in the league could be something to capitalise on for The Toffees, but it will have to be a much improved performance from the one put in against Villa.
If You Know Your History… Everton v Tottenham Through the Years
Sean Dyche’s Everton were on the wrong side of a humbling defeat earlier in the season. Tottenham running riot in a 4-0 dismantling of a defensively fragile Everton. Everton have since made strides to be more solid at the back but signs from Moyes’ first game back would worry Evertonians, with his side looking more open and vulnerable. Carlo Ancelotti was Everton manager the last time the Blues got a win against Tottenham, that was the 5-4 thriller in the FA Cup back in 2021. The Don was also the manager the last time Everton got a win over Tottenham in the league. A DCL goal on the opening day of the delayed 2020/21 season during COVID. The last time Everton beat Tottenham at Goodison Park was back on the 9th of December 2012, where the manager of that 2-1 win was… David Moyes. Two goals in stoppage time saw Everton move to 4th place in the league, how times change.
Everton have 57 wins over this weekend’s opponents. In turn Tottenham have 72 victories over the blues. The sides have drawn 60 times, 11 of which have come since David Moyes departed the club for Manchester United.
Team News
Armando Broja looks likely to be out for 10-12 weeks according to David Moyes earlier this week, with discussions ongoing about his possible return to Chelsea. James Garner is back in training to give the Toffees a boost in midfield. Meanwhile Tim Iroegbunam, Dwight McNeil, Seamus Coleman and Youssef Chermitti are unavailable through injury.
Brennan Johnson and Yves Bissouma are doubts for Tottenham following their defeat to Arsenal in midweek. Ben Davies and Richarlison could feature as they slowly return from injury. Timo Werner is out alongsider long term injuries Bentancur, van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Udogie and Vicario.
What the Managers Say
Moyes on what he learnt from the Aston Villa game – “There were some good signs but we’ve got to make that special moment count. We didn’t quite do so well on set pieces but partly due to the quickness [of returning] and not getting to do every job possible”.
Postecoglou on Moyes returning to Everton- “Delighted to see David back because I’m not the oldest any more! Just need to get Roy back now. David’s a great guy though. He reached out to me when I was at Celtic”.
Everton Key Player
Vitalii Mykolenko – Was his performance against Aston Villa the most encouraging? A big worry about Moyes returning to Everton was the lack of options at full-back. Unlike the system under Dyche, we know Moyes likes to play with attacking full-backs. Something that has not been asked of our Ukrainian left-back for a while. His recent performances would also bring into question if he could deliver in that role, especially as he’s looked scared to put a cross in the box this season. With that being said, I thought he played well against Aston Villa, he grew into the game and delivered one or two balls that looked threatening. We need that more from him. Ashley Young has settled down and become a reliable hand for Everton as the season has progressed and it’s time for Mykolenko to follow suit and provide that stability and attacking threat on the left-hand side. For Moyes’ second coming to prove to be a good one (in the absence of new signings) Mykolenko will be key.
One to Watch for Tottenham:
Heung Min Son – He’s not well liked by the Everton faithful, many holding him responsible for the downfall of Andre Gomes. It would have always been Harry Kane as the main threat for Tottenham against Everton but in his absence (and the injury problems Tottenham seem to have right now) Son is the clear threat. He knows where the goal is against the Toffees and he will have a lot of space if Everton are as open as they were against Aston Villa. Regardless of how David Moyes wants to set up and play football, the defence will have to be on it to nullify the threat of the South Korean. 6 goals and 6 assists from 18 games in the Premier League this season, 2 of which came in the reverse fixture, the club captain is one to watch as Spurs look to recapture some form and return to winning ways.
Final Thoughts
It’s 2 sides desperate for a win, often in that case it will come down to quality. Safe to say that even with their injuries, Spurs have quality. The defeat against Aston Villa came down to their striker taking a chance and our striker missing. Football in it’s simplest form. The idea of watching a more open and attacking (but slightly unsure) Everton against an attacking and stubborn Spurs really makes me feel uneasy. David Moyes will have had a lot of experience against Spurs in recent years as West Ham manager but does he have the players and has he had the time to put that knowledge into something that can prevent another defeat?
Prediction
1-0. I’ve got to try and remain positive so I am going for a ‘smash and grab’ 1-0 home win. I’ll say Tarkowski from a corner. We have a horrible record against Tottenham, we are on a really bad run of form. We are struggling to score goals. The defensive performances were there under Dyche, so hopefully any attempts to become more attacking do not come at the expense of becoming easier to beat.
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