Everton stars gearing up for internationals
Several Everton players are getting ready for international matches this weekend.
Inevitably with the Premier League taking a break this weekend there’s not a lot going on as far as Everton are concerned.
But a number of Blues stars are of course heading to various parts to play for their respective countries in international matches.
For England it’s more UEFA Nations League and Everton’s Jordan Pickford is once more likely to start in goal as the Three Lions take on World Cup semi-final opponents Croatia. England will hope for a better result this time round.
After some shaky moments earlier in the season, Pickford has been solid overall these past few weeks and that has been reflected in two Premier League victories on the bounce. Although he might feel he could have done better to prevent the Leicester goal last weekend.
Still despite that hiccup Everton went on to win courtesy of Gylfi Sigurdsson’s brilliant second half strike.
The Iceland star will be hoping for more of the same as he will also be on international duty this evening when his country play France in a friendly.
And that of course pits Sigurdsson up against his club colleagues Kurt Zouma and Lucas Digne, both of whom have been recalled to the France squad by national team manager Didier Deschamps.
This decision reflects the impact the two have had since joining Everton in the summer. Digne in particular has been outstanding and it seems he has now displaced Leighton Baines as the Blues first-choice at left-back.
The former Barcelona man has been adventurous and creative in attack and looks solid defensively. If he continues in this form he will prove a very good buy indeed.
Zouma who is on a season-long loan from Chelsea, has also been in fine form since breaking into the Everton team. His pace and physical power have given the Blues something they have been missing in defence for quite a while.
And this has also helped another Blues centre-back who has struggled to get his Everton career going; Michael Keane.
Keane has been playing much better in recent games looking a lot more solid than he did and having Zouma alongside him has been a key reason for that. He is at his best when he concentrates on doing the defensive basics well and a player like Zouma allows him to do that.
Having a regular partner at the back is obviously beneficial anyway. But Zouma offers the kind of qualities Keane’s previous defensive partners have lacked. In particular the pace that Phil Jagielka no longer possesses and better concentration and positional sense than young Mason Holgate.
Keane’s improvement and greater consistency have come too late to see him return to the England squad but he must hope he can get back into Gareth Southgate’s thinking if his improvement continues.
It also seems that this round of internationals has come too soon for another Blues defender, Seamus Coleman.
More from Prince Rupert's Tower
- Everton 0 Arsenal 1: Blues fall to third home defeat
- Further chaos in Everton takeover as other lenders not keen on 777 Partners
- Everton need repeat of Arsenal win to kick-start their season on Sunday
- More madness at Everton as Moshiri now agrees to sell club to 777 Partners
- Everton takeover talk cools after UK govt doubts and further questions
Although Coleman is close to returning from his latest injury setback he will not be able to play for the Republic of Ireland in their games against Denmark and Wales.
Given his bad luck with injuries while playing for his country, Everton might not be too bothered that he’s unable to do so this time round!
One player who will be hoping to use the international weekend to revive his fortunes is Blues striker Cenk Tosun.
The Turkey international has had a tough time in front of goal this season. He will be hoping that if he features for his country in their games tonight and on Sunday he can find the net and help get his season up and running.