Everton boss to look at fringe players
As the Premier League season re-start looms, Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has a unique chance to look closely at his fringe players and gauge their quality, mental strength and character before the transfer window opens.
In some ways this upcoming season resumption, is a no lose situation for Ancelotti and Everton. The unique conditions of this campaign, are going to create some anomalous results and for all intents and purposes the season can effectively be written off.
By that I mean that given the bizarre situation, there is little expectation about the final outcome of the season, whatever that might be.
And let’s be honest given the wider health and societal context, the fact that there are no spectators at games and many might be played at neutral venues, it doesn’t even seem like a football season at all. Let’s just hope that Liverpool’s unfortunately inevitable title win will have a permanent asterisk against it!
Anyway all this takes pressure of Ancelotti, although he’s not under any pressure anyway, as like most Evertonians and the club hierarchy, I’m ready to give him plenty of time given his outstanding pedigree and reputation.
He can therefore use this strange interlude to take a long hard look at all his players and put them under the microscope. Hopefully he will get a real chance to see what they are made of.
It will also, as the Liverpool Echo speculate, give the Italian an opportunity to experiment with his lineups, especially with the new rule on five substitutes being allowed.
This is obviously in place to take account of fitness issues following such a long enforced hiatus and the lack of match practice, which no amount of training can replicate.
The Echo’s piece concentrates on the potential for Ancelotti to take a look at some of his fringe first-team squad and academy players.
I’ve already gone into some detail about the players, like Moise Kean for example, who I think need to take this opportunity to step up and prove they can deliver. This is important, but I also feel the Blues boss should take the chance to make some tactical tweeks as well.
In particular, I would like to see Ancelotti try using a 4-3-3 formation in upcoming games. I have mentioned this many times before, but I do feel it would be a better fit for the Blues current team.
It would actually give players like Kean more of a chance to play regularly, in a three man strike force alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
It also helps to solve the endless conundrum of who plays in midfield. Everton don’t really have the right sort of players in the middle of the park to effectively play a four-man set-up with too many under-performing individuals jostling for places.
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
A midfield three of Andre Gomes, alongside perhaps Morgan Schniederlin and Alex Iwobi, although far from ideal, might make a reasonably solid and narrow trio of players in front of the defence and give the full-backs, Djibril Sidibe and Lucas Digne more freedom to get forward.
I know many of you might not agree with those players selected, but frankly I don’t think there is much real choice until the end of the season. Schniederlin is a defensive midfield player, (at least in theory!), and him sitting between more attacking players Gomes and Iwobi might work.
Gomes and Iwobi could provide support for the forwards as both can carry the ball from midfield, something Everton don’t do nearly enough of.
We can only wait and see if Ancelotti does indeed take the opportunity to alter his formation and try different looks before the season ends.