Everton must think differently to solve their defensive problems

After yesterday’s hugely disappointing and frustrating 1-3 defeat at home to Manchester United, Everton must start thinking differently to solve the team’s defensive problems.

While Everton were limp and disjointed in attack yesterday, I think those issues will be eased with the return of Richarlison and hopefully a fitter and sharper James Rodriguez. The Blues could and should also strengthen their attacking options in the January window.

The biggest issue I see is the Toffees’ chronic inability to stop the opposition scoring goals. No matter how good your attack is, you won’t always be able to score heavily and need to be able to grind out the odd result.

But so far this season the Blues are conceding an average of 1.75 goals per game in the Premier League. That is far too many to be letting in.

Projected over the course of a whole season, that average would mean more than sixty five goals conceded. A team leaking that number of goals is not going to win anything or finish anywhere near the top of the league.

Ironically, the much increased offensive capability of the team with the new signings and a change to a 4-3-3 formation, seems to have come at the expense of the greater defensive stability that Carlo Ancelotti had been focused on after he took over at Goodison Park. However, I think that’s largely down to individual errors rather than a system itself.

Against United, Everton lined up with the back four that would probably on paper be the first-choice defensive line: Micheal Keane and Mason Holgate at centre-back with Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne at full-back.

In goal, Carlo Ancelotti restored Jordan Pickford to the keeper’s jersey. I would have stuck with Robin Olsen who I think offers more reliability and assurance to his defenders than Pickford.

The England number one had a decent game and made a couple of trademark saves, but again he had a few hairy moments and on one occasion dropped a ball in the box which could have proved very costly.

And this is a key point, as despite the fact this defence was basically the best five available, individual players making mistakes again proved their undoing.

Ancelotti dropped Yerry Mina for the game yesterday precisely because he has a habit of making mistakes and performing inconsistently.

However, this time it was Keane who has been rock solid so far, who lost his concentration and allowed Bruno Fernandes to evade him and head in United’s equaliser when the Toffees were on top and one goal up. That was after Coleman had allowed Luke Shaw to cross the ball too easily in the first place.

There is nothing really that a coach can do if his players are going to make these kinds of basic mental errors. Of course every defender will have a lapse of concentration and lose his man occasionally, but it seems to happen to Everton players far too regularly.

One of the ways in which Ancelotti hoped to improve the defensive solidity of his team, was strengthening the midfield in front of it.

Summer signings Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure were brought in to provide the energy, combativeness and additional protection so sorely missed last season.

Both have been solid and pretty consistent, especially Allan who had another decent match yesterday working hard and putting in plenty of tackles trying to gain the upper hand in the middle against United’s central two of Fred and Scot MacTominay.

Doucoure had a mixed game with plenty of effort and bustle as always, but he missed two good, late goal scoring opportunities, which had he taken them, might have given his team an unearned point or even a win.

One factor which I think has lessened their effectiveness, is the lack of a consistent and reliable third midfielder alongside them.

This is important because it gives a 4-3-3 formation the necessary balance. If you don’t have that support either side of your main holding player, which in Everton’s case is Allan, then the midfield can become outnumbered and overrun. That’s especially true if you have a player like Doucoure who is very much box-to-box and isn’t as disciplined as Allan.

That’s what happened yesterday. Often Allan was facing two United players making it hard for him to win control of the midfield.

At the start of the season that third midfield player was Andre Gomes, who was performing well enough in the first few games but whose form has since then deteriorated. So Ancelotti has tried Fabian Delph and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

The Iceland international got another chance yesterday but he offered nothing to his team either offensively or defensively. The Blues need to sort this out as the success of the 4-3-3 depends on the effectiveness of the whole trio in midfield.

One possible tactical solution would be for Ancelotti to bring Ben Godfrey into the midfield and play him on the left of that three. Godfrey normally plays in central defence but he can and has operated in midfield.

I reckon Godfrey has the pace, defensive qualities and importantly passing ability to play effectively in that position and give some much needed additional solidity and cover there.

Another alternative is to change the formation itself. I’ve long been an advocate of a 4-3-3 and I still feel it’s the optimum tactical formation, but it’s not set in stone and you need flexibility so perhaps it is necessary to consider a change if it will help shore up the defence.

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Ancelotti would probably like to go back to a 4-4-2 but he lacks the width to do that. So moving to a three-man central defence might be an answer with a midfield including Rodriguez and Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin operating together up front.

Godfrey could make up a back three then alongside Holgate and Keane. Godfrey is very comfortable playing on the left in a back three as he did so regularly at Norwich under Daniel Farke.

Holgate can also probably play in a three as he has sent a lot of time playing full-back and is very comfortable on the ball.

This might provide greater strength at the back and allow the full-backs, especially Coleman, to push up and give improved cover and support on the flanks.

At any rate whatever changes Ancelotti might be contemplating to help solve these problems, he needs to sort out these defensive frailties otherwise it will undermine Everton’s season.