Match Preview: Crystal Palace v Everton

As the dust settles on another artificially contrived transfer window, the Premier League season begins once again and Everton take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park tomorrow.

After all the drama of the ultimately fruitless pursuit of Wilfried Zaha by Everton, it would have to be Palace away first up this season wouldn’t it!

Given the significant turnover in squad personal this summer, it’s very difficult to have a really concrete idea what team Blues boss Marco Silva will pick to face the Eagles in Everton’s opener.

At the back it’s a bit easier with Jordan Pickford starting in goal, Lucas Digne at left-back and presumably Michael Keane and Yerry Mina at centre-back.

Talking of centre-backs lets hope both these two stay fit as much as possible as the Blues failure to sign another central defender in this window could come back to haunt them.

Right-back is a bit more uncertain. Will new signing Djibril Sidibe come straight into the side or will Silva retain faith with Seamus Coleman?

My own instinct would be to keep faith with Coleman for the moment, not least because he would be by far the most senior and experienced player in the Toffees side and perhaps would be the obvious choice as captain too.

In the long run I think Sidibe might well succeed Coleman this season but perhaps it’s best to stick with the Irishman for now.

Moving into the midfield things get a bit more complicated. Presumably new permanent signing Andre Gomes will start but who will line up alongside him?

Jean-Philipe Gbamin was primarily bought to replace the industry of Idrissa Gueye and so given that it’s likely he will start alongside Gomes.

Will Everton decide to play a 4-3-3 formation? If so and assuming he is fit, another new addition Fabian Delph might join the other two unless Gylfi Sigurdsson is that third midfielder.

My own preference would be for the Icelander to get the other place in a midfield three but actually playing as a sort of roving No 10 where he can get on the ball and supply the Toffees attack.

That Blues attack is the most difficult area of the team to call. If the Toffees do play some form of 4-3-3, (as I think long-term they should), then there are obviously only going to be enough room for a few of Everton’s front men.

My own choice would be a front three of Richarlison playing on the right, Moise Kean through the middle and Bernard out on the left.

That would enable the two full-backs to rekindle their emerging partnerships with the Brazilian forwards in front of them, while giving Kean a chance to show what he will bring to Everton’s attack.

As their both just through the door, I don’t see Silva starting either one of the new forwards but if he did I’d go with Kean in that central position.

Both Iwobi and Kean have played in wide attacking roles and although the ex-Arsenal man generally started on the left I think he would be effective from either flank. Kean also often lined up on the left hand side at Juventus and seemed to enjoy coming in off that wing as well.

Iwobi could also prove a very effective substitute, a role he often had at Arsenal to good effect.

Richarlison is the most physical and direct of the forwards and while he had a mixed time playing as a centre-forward last season, I still think his long-term future is as a more central attacker rather than playing in a wide role.

But for now while the team settles and the new faces find their feet, let’s go with a more familiar looking side.

The strength of this forward line-up though is that all three can interchange and so create a very fluid and potentially dynamic front line that would be difficult to defend against.

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Alternatively if Silva goes with his more favoured 4-2-3-1 system then I assume Sigurdsson would slot into the three behind either Kean or more likely, Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Well we’ll certainly find out in 24 hours time.

Palace have not had a great summer in terms of transfers, losing their best defender in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and having the unsettling speculation around Zaha and the Blues running on until late yesterday afternoon. So this represents a winnable match to begin with.

Anyway a good start to the season is as always important and so let’s really hope Everton can begin with a win tomorrow in London, not traditionally a happy hunting ground for the Toffees.