Everton without James and Coleman for Etihad trip on final day

In his pre-match press conference Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti revealed that both James Rodriguez and Seamus Coleman will miss the final match of the season at Manchester City.

With these two absent, Everton continue a near season-long trend of injuries that has impacted on their campaign.

Yes lots of teams have had their problems with injury this term. But despite some predictable moaning from certain quarters (we all know who!) the Toffees have been, as usual, particularly badly hit with virtually all their starting players having picked up a knock of some sort over the course of this 2020-21 season.

Rodriguez and Coleman, the right side of the team on opening day, have been perhaps the most affected although that shouldn’t be a surprise as they both have long standing injury issues going back several seasons.

The Colombian has had a succession of seemingly minor problems this term, which have added up to him missing large chunks of his first campaign in English football.

I don’t really know what to make of Rodriguez’s impact and debut season in royal blue. I thought signing him was a gamble but at times especially early on in the campaign he was electric and added a new dimension to the Blues attacking football.

But he has also occasionally gone missing a bit away from home, although unlike most of his team-mates has generally excelled at the Grand Old Lady.

With that and all the injuries it is difficult to see how Everton can sustainably build a team for the long-term around his undoubted but fitfully seen talents.

His absence again on Wednesday for a rather nebulous reason such as ‘fatigue’ is also concerning in terms of his commitment to the team.

Ancelotti said today his focus is now on being fit for the Copa America and that’s a little irritating as his first priority ought to be finishing the domestic season for his club on a high. In this light the fatigue might be seen as a slightly convinient, if perhaps understandable excuse, to sit out these last few games and avoid any further knocks so going to South America fully fit.

Anyway, whatever is going on there he is out for the trip up the M62 to Manchester and so is Coleman. The Irishman has also been inconsistent with a great start that reminded us of his best years at Goodison Park before a succession of injuries again derailed him.

His absence starkly illustrated how weak Everton are on the right with no other full-back able to come in and cover and no natural right winger in front of him (with Rodriguez not that type and drifting inside) so exposing this flank to a lot of pressure from opponents.

Ancelotti has tried a number of different ways to overcome this without any real success, although the four centre-back defence adopted in December probably worked best.

Given all this again as we’ve said so often this season, it’s hard to know what team Ancelotti will pick. On reflection, I assume he is likely to go with the same back four as against Wolves with Ben Godfrey filling in for Coleman.

That defence was solid on Wednesday night although the prospect of Yerry Mina and especially Micheal Keane up against those slick and quick moving City forwards, is certainly worrying!

One alternative might be to play Godfrey alongside Mina to use his pace and man-marking ability against whoever plays as the recognised main striker for the home team (assuming they have one). But then who plays right-back – Mason Holgate? Again on current form that’s not a particularly comforting idea.

However he decides to line up in defence, in midfield I think Ancelotti needs a three of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Tom Davies and Allan to try and wrest some control from City as otherwise they will just monopolise possession all day long.

They probably will anyway, but I think if Davies can do a good job of screening the defence and Doucoure and Allan can try and get in the faces of their opponents Everton might have some decent ball from time-to-time.

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And up front why not play Josh King alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to provide the maximum amount of pace and counter-attacking threat? After all there’s obviously no point in trying not to lose, the Toffees must go for the win.

It’s hard to know how City will approach this match. In many ways of course they will want to finish on a high as they collect their third Premier League trophy in four seasons, in front of their returning fans.

But they also have a massive game coming up next weekend against Chelsea in the Champions League final so Pep Guardiola may decide to rest quite a few of his stars. Not of course that this means the Blues are in for an easier encounter, as the quality and depth of City’s squad is unrivalled.

It’s a nice problem to have and wouldn’t Evertonians relish our manager being in the position to have to make these sorts of final day decisions?!

Anyway, back in the real world, Everton know what they have to do on Sunday. So let’s hope they can find another of those excellent away day performances that have been this season’s highlight and against the odds again snatch all three points.