Everton to adjust formation against Newcastle
Everton take on Newcastle United this afternoon and given the number of injuries and suspensions they have, the Blues might adjust their formation today.
This season Everton and Carlo Ancelotti have adopted the 4-3-3 that I have felt for a long time is the most effective formation for the team to play in.
It’s been very successful so far this season as the Toffees have been producing some great attacking football and scoring with a freedom and regularity we haven’t seen for a long time.
Defensively they have been less consistently reliable but with Jarrad Branthwaite healthy again and Mason Holgate on the road to full fitness too, that will surely help.
Last weekend though, saw the Blues slip to their first defeat of the season at Southampton and it was a loss in which several of the players brought in to replace those injured and suspended, didn’t perform very well.
Gylfi Sigurdsson and Alex Iwobi had opportunities to make themselves central to Ancelotti’s plans, but neither were able to convincingly do so.
With Richarlison and James Rodriguez out and both first-choice full-backs also missing for this game, the Everton boss has plenty to consider as he picks his side for this afternoon.
At right-back he can go with either Ben Godfrey who played last weekend or Jonjo Kenny. While on the other side Ancelotti could go with youngster Niels Nkounkou or possibly Fabian Delph.
It’s the midfield where the most difficult decisions need to be made. Sigurdsson didn’t do very much last Sunday, but the other obvious alternative to play on the left of the three, Andre Gomes, also hasn’t been in good form recently.
So might a solution be to modify his 4-3-3 for this match, especially as Rodriguez is also missing as well as his South American team mate Richarlison?
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The Toffees could line up with a midfield of Aboulaye Doucoure, Allan and Delph. That way Ancelotti will ensure enough defensive protection for his two full-backs if he picks Kenny and Nkounkou, both of whom are inexperienced and like to get forward.
Up front Anthony Gordon and perhaps Bernard in place of Rodriguez could play off Dominic Calvert-Lewin to support the England man.
None of this is ideal for sure, but for this one game I think a little experimentation might be inevitable given how many first-choice players are absent.
This team or something similar, won’t be likely to create and score many goals, although having said that if the new forwards and full-backs can play well then who knows.
However, perhaps an emphasis on a solid shape and team performance even if that means only a point, is inevitable without the pace, creativity and goals of the Blues’ South American stars.