Everton kick-off their 2021-22 season with a Premier League clash against Southampton. In many ways, this is a start to a new chapter as Rafa Benitez starts with a clean slate. The Toffee fans hope that finally, a manager can bring stability to the club after having four managerial changes since 2016.
Ahead of the game, new boss Rafa Benitez addressed his first pre-game press conference and provided several updates. One of the biggest updates he delivered was that James Rodriguez and four other players are unavailable as they are currently in isolation. The Spaniard didn’t go into details of other four players isolating, which makes it even harder to predict the starting lineup.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison are available. There’s a good chance that new signings Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray would feature if they are not the players isolating. If we go by the pre-season, Benitez could lineup his troops in a 4-2-3-1 but back then he didn’t have DCL and Richarlison available. The duo has been lethal upfront which could see Rafa Benitez prefer a two striker formation.
Not every Everton fan is happy with Rafa Benitez’s appointment so getting a positive result in the first game of the season becomes even more important. Everton will be welcoming fans back to Goodison Park after a long interval and the team will be hoping that the crowd can get behind them and act as the 12th man.
Here is the Everton predicted lineup vs Southampton:
Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
Jordan Pickford had a fantastic summer, winning the golden glove at EURO 2020, keeping five clean sheets, silencing his critics. The Englishman also had a solid last season after his early struggles. He’ll be determined to start the 2021-22 season on a high note and continue his impressive form.
Even though Asmir Begovic has been signed, there is no chance that the former Chelsea man can start ahead of Pickford, especially when the 27 year old is fit.