Everton: Who will start in goal for second leg?

Everton face a potential dilemma ahead of the second leg of their Europa League third round qualifying tie. Will Ronald Koeman pick Jordan Pickford or Maarten Stekelenburg to start in goal?

There was some surprise on Thursday, when Maarten Stekelenburg’s name appeared in the starting lineup to face Ruzomberok at Goodison Park. However, the decision was soon justified, after he kept a clean sheet for Everton.

In truth, it wasn’t as if Stekelenburg was being thrown in at the deep end. After all, Ronald Koeman had made sure he got plenty of playing time during the start of the Blues’ preseason friendly schedule.

In addition, the 34-year-old made 20 starts last season for Everton, including 18 in the Premier League. (In fact, some analysts believe he deserved to feature more than Josh Robles during the 2016/17 campaign.)

Another reason Stekelenburg started the first leg of the Europa League tie, came down to common sense. And why should we expect anything else, with Koeman in charge?

Pure and simple, the Everton manager admitted he held Jordan Pickford back, after his late return to pre-season training. This was due to representing England at the European Under-21 Championship in Poland, where he helped them reach the semi-finals.

Koeman confirmed his reasoning, while talking to Evertonfc.com. The 54-year-old said:

"“Maarten played half a season last year. We signed Jordan Pickford, but he was one of three players with only eight or nine days of training and it was too soon for him to start. Maybe he will start next week.”"

Of course, it’s that last sentence which holds most intrigue for Evertonians. Who will get the nod between the posts, when the Toffees take the pitch for the second leg next Thursday, in Ruzomberok?

On the one hand, Stekelenburg deserves to start, after his performance in the first leg. However, this will no doubt be countered by those, who state Pickford is the long-term future in goal and needs to start playing competitive games as soon as possible.

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Now, you could argue it shouldn’t really matter who starts between the posts, when considering the quality of the opposition. However, Ruzomberok should not be underestimated, after performing extremely well at Goodison Park.

For what it’s worth, our choice would be to stick with Stekelenburg. He is more familiar with the opponent and shouldn’t be phased playing away in Europe, especially given his extensive experience with the Dutch national team.

However, whoever gets the nod, you fully trust Koeman knows what he’s doing. Over all, you can even argue it’s a good dilemma to have, illustrating the increased strength and competition in depth at Everton.

Next: Blues and Reds to compete for forward Max Kruse

What’s your take? Who do you think should start in goal for the second leg in Ruzomberok and why? State your case in the comments section below.