Allan injured: What will Everton miss against Brighton?

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Everton will be without Allan for the visit of Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Brazilian midfielder has been one of the Toffees’ shining lights during an impressive start to the season which has yielded six consecutive victories across all competitions.

But Allan was withdrawn in the 69th minute of Everton’s 4-1 victory over West Ham United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and Ancelotti has now confirmed he will miss the clash with the Seagulls due to an abductor muscle problem, alongside Jonjoe Kenny, Mason Holgate, Jarrad Branthwaite and fellow midfielder, Andre Gomes.

"We don’t have Holgate, Branthwaite, Kenny is out, Allan is out, Gomes is out."

As for Richarlison, it was confirmed that he faces a fitness test on Saturday to see if he is fit to face Brighton.

What will Everton miss with Allan injury?

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has rightly stolen the headlines with eight goals in five games across all competitions to start the season — including hat-tricks against West Brom and West Ham — quite rightly earning him a first-ever call-up to the senior England squad.

And James Rodriguez has captured the imagination of the Everton fanbase with some dazzling creative performances, while Abdoulaye Doucoure has also settled seamlessly into a blue shirt.

But arguably the Toffees’ most important piece during this strong start to the campaign has been Allan.

The 29-year-old has made the third-highest number of tackles (12) in the Premier League so far this season, while he has also committed the fourth-highest number of fouls (8). Often perceived as a negative stat, it is also seen as proof that Allan has added a robust edge to the Everton midfield, willing to partake in the “dark arts” to disrupt opposition counter-attacks and allow his teammates to regroup — a quality that was sorely lacking in a weak midfield through 2019/20.

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According to Fbref, Allan has also performed the highest number of “pressures” — which they define as the “number of times applying pressure to an opposing player who is receiving, carrying or releasing the ball — among Everton players with 58, while he has the most successful pressures  (18), too. 31 of these pressures have been carried out in the defensive third — at least 10 more than any other player at the club.

Michael Keane was full of praise for Allan following a man-of-the-match debut against Tottenham on the opening weekend.

"He is a defender’s dream. He is always there on the striker’s toes, winning the ball back. He does a lot of running, puts in a lot of tackles. It is great to have him there. He was class, as were all the other lads, including those who came on."

There are still plenty of question marks remaining around this Everton side, namely in the defence. Can Michael Keane keep his concentration for 90 minutes week-in, week-out, or will he become prone to allowing strikers to run off his shoulder again?

Will Jordan Pickford ever regain his confidence and become the goalkeeper we all thought he would? And what will happen should the likes of Yerry Mina or Lucas Digne succumb to long-term injuries?

However, with Allan in the side, much of that defensive uncertainty has been masked to this point. Ancelotti will certainly have a task on his hands to ensure his absence doesn’t bring a halt to what has been the most exciting start to a season in recent memory for Evertonians.

Will Allan’s absence against Brighton cost Everton?