James Rodriguez injured: Key Everton injuries turn Southampton trip into the toughest test
Southampton hasn’t been high on the list of places Everton like to visit, recently. The 2-1 victory on 9 November 2019 was the Blues first triumph in six visits.
Richarlison scored the winning goal in the 75th minute. However, his red-card in the last minute of the Merseyside Derby means he will miss three matches in a row.
Richarlison will be hard to replace and while Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been doing a fairly-good impersonation of Dixie Dean so far this season (scoring 7 goals in five league appearances so far.) Richarlison has been Everton’s leading scorer for the past two seasons. No doubt he will be missed.
Trending. Ancelotti’s cold shoulder to Everton man can spark January exit talks. light
However, Carlo Ancelotti had far worse news on Thursday. He told:
"Unfortunately, James (Rodriguez) had a problem during the game. He had a mistimed tackle with Virgil van Dijk at the beginning of the game and I think he will not be available for the game against Southampton. (via Liverpool ECHO)"
Replacing James Rodriguez will go beyond his three goals and three assists. It’s almost as if personifies Ancelotti on the pitch. There’s no doubt, he controls the flow and pace of the game and he has disproved the notion he would be a defensive weakness.
Seamus Coleman limped off against Liverpool with a hamstring injury. Carlo Ancelotti confirmed he will miss the Southampton match Ancelotti told the Liverpool Echo.
"Coleman is expected to miss two-to-three weeks, but doesn’t have a big problem."
A team always will miss its captain, especially one who is Blue-through-and-through like Coleman.
So what looked like a testing match on the West Coast, may well have turned into Everton’s biggest test of the season.
Next. Everton vs. Southampton Injury update: Toffees without key personnel. dark
How badly will the absence of Richarlison, Coleman and James Rodriguez affect Everton?