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Can Everton get anything at Leicester

By Matt Townsend

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: Richarlison of Everton is fouled by Wes Morgan of Leicester during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Everton FC at The King Power Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: Richarlison of Everton is fouled by Wes Morgan of Leicester during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Everton FC at The King Power Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Here we go again then, after the anti-climatic last week of speculation about Marco Silva, Everton face second-placed Leicester City at the Kingpower Stadium on Sunday with Silva still in charge.

It’s a pretty weird situation, in which Everton travel to the in-form Foxes with a manager who is surely a dead man walking as far as the Blues job is concerned?

I’m not sure how easy first-team training would have been at Finch Farm this week, given all the constant speculation and pressure for a change in manager.

Well almost everything that can be said about this situation has been said, for the moment anyway. So what realistic prospect do the Toffees have of getting anything from Sunday’s game?

I’m very pessimistic that the Blues can come away with anything other than a heavy defeat from this match. Especially if they play anywhere near as badly as last weekend at Goodison Park.

Everton are facing the surprise package of the season in Leicester who have put together a terrific run of form to give themselves a great chance of finishing in the top four. It’s the kind of position I would have envisioned for the Toffees this season in my more optimistic moments.

Without taking anything away from them, Leicester’s achievement so far underlines how frankly criminal the Blues failures this season have been.

The Premier League is in my view a very average league at the moment, apart from the top two or three sides, with a lot of ordinary teams bunched up together fighting for mid-table mediocrity.

You only have to look at the table to see how evenly matched most teams are. Even in the Toffees position and despite their terrible results, they are still only five points off fifth place.

With the amount of money spent on players and the easy run of fixtures Everton had to start this campaign, it should really be the Blues sitting near where Leicester are.

So what Toffees team might line up to face the Foxes on Sunday afternoon?

Leicester are an excellent attacking team with plenty of threats from the outstanding James Maddison to a rejuvenated Jamie Vardy. There might be an argument for playing more defensively than usual and perhaps even shutting up shop and simply trying to get a point at any cost.

But I’m not sure if this Everton team is capable of doing that, so I think they will have to play with an all too often lacking determination and energy and try to take the game to the Foxes. The Toffees have to have enough pace and power in their side to cause Leicester some problems and try to put them more on the back foot.

Assuming Silva doesn’t spring one of his left-field selections, like putting Seamus Coleman back into the side, I would hope the back four would be Jordan Pickford, Djibril Sidibe, Mason Holgate , Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne.

While none of these player covered themselves in glory last Saturday, (who did?), I think it’s the best defensive line-up.

In midfield I would like to see three players in the middle; Tom Davies, Fabian Delph if he’s fit again and Alex Iwobi.

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Davies gives plenty of graft and energy and is always looking to play progressive balls forward.

Delph is I feel a better option as the defensive lynchpin than the listless Morgan Schniederlin, who is out anyway, and Iwobi will hopefully get on the ball as much as possible and drive at the Leicester defence at every opportunity.

Up front assuming Bernard is also fully fit, I would want to see him return to an attacking three alongside Richarlison and Moise Kean.

Again I would like to see Kean given a chance finally. After all what does Silva have to lose, so to speak, but I doubt he will be.

Prediction? I won’t be making one for this game, but you know what I wouldn’t be surprised if somehow Silva was to get a result, which would only delay the inevitable still further!