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Crucial cup game for Everton- again!

By Matt Townsend

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Lucas Digne of Everton battles for possession with Will Hughes of Watford during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Watford FC at Goodison Park on August 17, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Lucas Digne of Everton battles for possession with Will Hughes of Watford during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Watford FC at Goodison Park on August 17, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /
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Once again after a disastrous Saturday on the south coast, Everton face yet another crucial game for their season as they take on Watford tonight in the EFL Cup.

Every match that Everton play these days seems make or break. And so once more we have another ‘crucial’ game as the Blues season hangs precariously in the balance.

This EFL cup match is theoretically the final one of three games that according to some media reports, Marco Silva had to ‘save his job’.

That means that if the Toffees do lose tonight’s game, Silva could possibly be facing the axe. We will see.

Personally I’m beginning to think the powers that be at Goodison Park will not pull the trigger, even if Everton are beaten tonight.

I’m increasingly of the view that the board don’t seem to have any plan in place and simply cannot make a decision one way or the other.

Meanwhile Everton’s season drifts along with the Blues now rooted in the bottom half of the Premier League table and any hopes of a top six finish now increasingly disappearing over the horizon.

I’m blue in the face calling for Silva to go and it seems to me that defeat tonight really would have to be the final straw. How could he survive that?

So turning to this evening’s game, and the Toffees are not just struggling with the usual mind-bogglingly erratic form and constant questions over the future of the manager, but also a rash of injury problems.

Not only the long-term absence of Jean-Philippe Gbamin but also now questions over Yerry Mina’s fitness and the possibility that Bernard might be out for a long while too.

Let’s hope that Mina for one is fit to return to the team after what seems a relatively minor knock, as his solid, consistent defending has been one of the few positives this season.

Bernard’s absence is also frustrating as he had only just got back into the team and was starting to rekindle his productive understanding with Lucas Digne on the left hand side.

It does give Silva the chance to play Moise Kean in his place as the young Italian has often operated from that position before. The manager doesn’t apparently want to play Kean in the league but he has had several chances in the cup games so it would seem logical for him to start again tonight.

Other than that I would hope and expect that Silva will again pick the same team who started last weekend’s game at Brighton.

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There seems little point tinkering with the team, after all Everton don’t have a squad full of in-form reserve players. I would assume Silva will go with that side as it’s such an important match for him and the team’s season.

I’m not widely enthusiastic about the League Cup, but victory would at least give Everton a chance of making a cup final appearance, which they’ve not had for ten years. Considering how this campaign is fast turning into yet another lost one, a cup run might provide something to hold onto.

Well once again we ask who knows what Blues side is going to turn up tonight? I suppose at least the Toffees are at home so that’s something to give fans a little optimism!