Everton Player ratings for September: James Rodriguez sparkles, Calvert-Lewin classy

Everton has had troubles due to a series of injuries to defenders.

Defenders:

Lucas Digne

Appearances – 6

Starts – 5

Minutes played – 516

Clean Sheets – 2

Goals/Assists – 0/1

Rating – 8

Lucas Digne is one of the most important players in the squad and has shown his quality in every game he has played so far. Hands down, he’s the best left back in the league right now. His powerful runs and ability to combine with Richarlison has not gone unnoticed.

Digne has also given us a glimpse of his versatility by covering as a centre back in two Carabao Cup games due to the lack of options available. It is true that Everton have not been able to keep as many clean sheets as they would have desired but that is largely due to some of the imbecilic goalkeeper errors.

Michael Keane

Appearances – 6

Starts – 6

Minutes played – 540

Clean Sheets – 2

Goals/Assists – 2/1

Rating – 8

Michael Keane has taken a big leap since last season and has changed the notion form being an inconsistent, unreliable player to being one of the most trustworthy and rock solid players in the backline.

Can we take a minute and applaud Keane simply for the extreme fitness superiority he has displayed in these 6 games. He is the only Everton player to play every minute of every game in September, quite literally playing a game every three days.

His performances have been sound and his contributions haven’t been restricted to the defensive half, he has chipped in with a couple of goals and an assist as well. Keane’s high level of productivity has given assurances to the Italian boss.

Yerry Mina

Appearances – 3

Starts – 3

Minutes played – 270

Clean Sheets – 1

Goals/Assists – 0/0

Rating – 7.5

The injury to Mason Holgate in pre-season has benefitted Yerry Mina with Ancelotti having no choice but to go with Keane and Mina as the centre back pair. It is safe to say that the Colombian has grabbed the opportunity and produced some decent displays.

His game against Crystal Palace will arguably be the best game as he was aggressive, kept Wilfried Zaha silent and soaked a lot of pressure that was being thrown by the Eagles.

Mina always has injury troubles of his own which caused Ancelotti to hesitate in picking Mina in the League Cup games. The 26 year old was rested in every Carabao Cup game to minimize the threat of him picking up an injury.

Seamus Coleman

Appearances – 4

Starts – 3

Minutes played – 328

Clean Sheets – 1

Goals/Assists – 0/1

Rating – 7.5

Seamus Coleman has rejuvenated himself in the new season. Last season, it appeared that the Irishman was slowing down as he hit the wrong side of 30 but this season he looks fresh and raring to go.

Coleman, like a true captain, has lead from the front showcasing exceptional leadership qualities. Despite the age, he has been running up and down the right wing and participating in the attack every time possible, something that you love to see from the 31 year old.

https://twitter.com/goal/status/1308994822343196672

Jonjoe Kenny

Appearances – 3

Starts – 3

Minutes played – 242

Clean Sheets – 1

Goals/Assists – 0/0

Rating – 7

A lot of debate happened over the summer whether Jonjoe Kenny must be sold or kept as a backup. Eventually, the 23 year old ended up staying which wasn’t much of a surprise after the kind pof backing he got from Ancelotti in front of the media.

Kenny is still in the learning phase and hasn’t done something extraordinary nor has he made some huge blunders. He has quietly done his job in the three EFL Cup games he’s played. It was unfortunate to see him limp off in the game against West Ham but overall he’s had a decent start to the campaign.

Niels Nkounkou

Appearances – 3

Starts – 3

Minutes played – 270

Clean Sheets – 1

Goals/Assists – 0/1

Rating – 7.5

Niels Nkounkou has been the finding of the season. Arrived on a free transfer, the 19 year old has caught many by surprise, probably even Ancelotti with his high grade performances. Nkounkou’s attacking game is ahead of everyone in his age group and the good news is that it is only going to get better.

Jarrad Branthwaite

Appearances – 1

Starts – 1

Minutes played – 24

Clean Sheets – 1

Goals/Assists – 0/0

Rating – N.A

It’s a shame that he was forced off due to injury in the game against Salford and hasn’t returned to the matchday squad since 15th September as the 18 year old continues his recovery.