Prince Rupert's Tower
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Wolves test for lethargic Everton on EPL return

By Matt Townsend

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker (R) greets Everton's Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson after winning the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on July 12, 2020. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker (R) greets Everton's Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson after winning the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on July 12, 2020. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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After the brief sojourn of an FA Cup third round tie against Rotherham yesterday, Everton return to Premier League action on Tuesday night at Wolves.

This match will be a real test for Everton and after a tepid display against the Championship side on Saturday they will need a big improvement in form when they face Nuno Espirito Santo’s team.

The last time the two sides met at Molineux the Toffees turned in a dreadful performance one of the worst of last season as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat, a game that symbolised all that was wrong with the team last season.

Given how poor the Blues were yesterday, a similar scoreline on Tuesday wouldn’t be impossible. Everton will in all likelihood need a big improvement to be competitive against Wolves despite the Midlanders erratic season.

The performance against Rotherham was probably to some degree a consequence of the number of changes to the starting eleven.

Carlo Ancelotti brought in Andre Gomes, Anthony Gordon and Cenk Tosun to start as well as giving a game to his returning left-back Lucas Digne, miraculously back already from his injury.

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He also gave starts again to Seamus Coleman and James Rodriguez both recently returned from their latest spells out of the team and reshuffled his defence putting Ben Godfrey in alongside Michael Keane at centre-back.

But the degree of lethargy and almost complacent attitude at times on display is something we’ve seen too many times before under this and previous managers.

Against Wolves, Ancelotti is of course very likely to pick Digne, Coleman and Rodriguez again and Richarlison will be back plus he will also bring Abdoulaye Doucoure and probably Gylfi Sigurdsson back into midfield as well.

Wolves have had a difficult 2020-21 season after coming close to a Champion’s League qualification last term and they are struggling to find any consistency to their matches.

They have suffered a few heavy and surprise defeats already this term. Their last six games neatly sum up the campaign with two wins, two draws and two defeats.

Several of the players who shone last campaign haven’t been as effective this time round in particular Adama Traore for example.

So they will be keen to get their Premier League campaign back on track and they have two home games next against Everton and West Brom, both of which they will be confident of winning.

For the Blues it’s important to return to winning ways in the EPL after the New Year’s Day loss to West Ham. But a performance anything like Saturday’s will almost certainly see them beaten. That would make for two consecutive league defeats to start 2021, not a good start to the year at all.