Everton vs. Southampton: New Year’s redemption on the cards
By Gary Pearson
Everything is falling into place nicely for Everton to start 2017 off on the right foot when they welcome Southampton to Goodison on Monday.
Taking all things into consideration, the Blues should dispose of Southampton and here’s why.
Southampton – battered and bruised
Southampton are coming off two home losses, one of which a 4-1 drubbing to Spurs last week. Their confidence has taken a battering over the festive period. Their usually reliable and sound defenses has been badly exposed.
The Saints travel to Goodison having not beaten Everton on Merseyside in 11 Premier League matches, losing eight in the process.
Numerous injuries and one important suspension leaves Southampton’s lineup bruised and in tatters for Monday’s match, further compounding the Saints’ New Year blues.
Virgil van Dijk, who is linked to a big-money January move to Goodison, is unavailable through suspension. This is a huge loss for the Saints, who heavily rely on van Dijk and Jose Fonte’s defensive partnership. They form the foundation of the Saints team, forming the backbone of a usually stingy defense.
Compounding their personnel problems, Southampton are without Charlie Austin, their talisman and leading scorer. Austin, who has six Premier League goals and has been in on 37 percent of the Saints 19 goals this season, is out with a shoulder injury.
The Saints have other injury concerns, but the rest pale in comparison to the loss of Austin. Losing their two best players, for a team that already lacks depth, should prove too big a hurdle to overcome.
Saints anaemic away form
In addition to their personnel woes, Saints haven’t been brilliant away from the Stadium of Light lately. The did come up with an impressive 3-1 win at Bournemouth last time out, but went winless in five previous away fixtures, which includes losses to Crystal Palace and Hull City.
And they didn’t just lost to Palace, but were comprehensively brushed aside in the 3-0 defeat. The Saints have trouble scoring away from home even with Austin in the team. They have failed to score in three of five away matches, including scoreless draws against Stoke and Leicester.
It’s hard to see where Southampton’s offensive supply will come from without their talisman.
Nathan Redmond has three goals and Jay Rodriguez has showed glimpses of his former brilliance since his recent return. Everton, if they can keep this duo at bay, shouldn’t have too many problems stifling an otherwise impotent attack.
Match prediction
How much Everton love playing at Goodison is well documented. The Toffees suffered their only home loss this season in devastating fashion when they conceded a 94th-minute Sadio Mane Liverpool winner. Otherwise, the Toffees have been nearly perfect at Goodison.
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Look for that trend to continue in another low-scoring, physically robust encounter. Ross Barkley should have a new lease on life, so look for the 23-year-old to score the winner in a 2-1 home victory.
Everton lost 1-0 at the St. Mary’s in late November, but the Toffees will redeem themselves and get their New Year’s redemption.