Everton players who need to step up

It looks increasingly likely that the Premier League will be returning in mid June, with the first fixture for Everton later in the month. So who in the Blues squad really needs to step up when the season resumes?

I think there are quite a few Everton players who are in effect playing for their future at Goodison Park when the Premier League season finally gets underway again.

A number of the Toffees squad might and should, be looking over their shoulders as the season restart approaches. Especially as manager Carlo Ancelotti has now had nearly six months to look at and assess them, albeit not in many match situations of course.

So who are these individual players who have to up their game?

1. Jordan Pickford

The England goalkeeper has had a very erratic season in 2019-20 and appears to be becoming less reliable as time goes on.

Pickford’s mistakes over the past few campaigns have become increasingly costly for the Blues. His problems concentrating and inability to consistently command his area, have become a real issue for the team and have cost the Toffees valuable points.

The former Sunderland keeper still pulls off some brilliant reflex saves, but these moments are increasingly not enough to make up for the mounting number of basic errors.

I think that the most important thing a side needs from their goalkeeper is that he is reliable and consistent, even if he’s not necessarily the most brilliant of shot-stoppers.

That consistency and reliability is what gives the defenders in front of him confidence that he will not make unexpected and erratic decisions, which helps them to do their job better. Unfortunately, certainly at the moment, Pickford isn’t that type of keeper.

As I’ve said before, Pickford hasn’t had a great deal of stability in front of him and this doesn’t help him to gain that consistency and reliability. However he seems to be going backwards.

There have been sporadic rumours about other possible goalkeepers who the Everton top brass might be interested in buying.

Of course theses rumours are just that, and these days given the Toffees money and Ancelotti’s arrival, it means just about ever player in Europe is being linked with a move to Everton!

2. Djibril Sidibe

The French right-back arrived from Monaco on loan at the end of last summer’s transfer market. The former World Cup winner, has shown plenty of attacking qualities but his defensive contributions have been wayward.

Sidibe has plenty of pace and creative ability, he’s an excellent crosser of the ball. And defensively he does actually put in plenty of tackles, but that is often a result of his poor positional sense putting him in a dangerous situation.

Sidibe would be available for a cut price fee if the Blues decided to turn his loan into a permanent deal. At the moment though Everton are having to work out how to extend the current loan deal, to take account of the extension of the season into July and August.

I’m very undecided about whether the Toffees should turn Sidibe’s loan into a long-term contract. If the Blues can shore up the centre of the defence, then it might be a risk worth taking as a more solid and consistent defence will allow Sidibe to follow his attacking instincts without the risk that this would expose Everton too much.

So if the Toffees get a top quality centre-back like Gabriel, then it might make signing Sidibe a more feasible prospect.

3. Michael Keane

Talking of central defence, moves me onto to another player who needs to really up his game; Micheal Keane.

Keane has also had a struggle this season, particularly to recapture the form he showed late last season when he looked like he might be the real deal.

Part of the reason for this was Keane’s embryonic partnership with another loan signing, Kurt Zouma. This looked for a while like it might be the future for Everton at centre-back.

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However Zouma returned to Chelsea and despite the Toffees trying to get him back, the London club wouldn’t sell him.

Keane has played mainly with Yerry Mina and although he has had some reasonably solid outings he has generally struggled to recapture last season’s form.

Par of the reason for this is that Mina is too similar to Keane. Both are big, powerful defenders who don’t have the out-and-out recovery pace like Zouma.

Keane might be able to build a partnership with Mason Holgate, but with the stories about new centre-backs Everton are alledgly interested in, Keane, as well as Mina, need to be on their game.