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Everton may need last season’s defence after Watford debacle

By Matt Townsend

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: A despondent Séamus Coleman of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Watford at Goodison Park on October 23, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: A despondent Séamus Coleman of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Watford at Goodison Park on October 23, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /
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The other aspect of strengthening the defence is reinforcing the midfield after Benitez lost Abdoulaye Doucoure’s dynamic box-to-box play. It was obvious immediately how much this Toffees side has come to depend on the Frenchman’s abilities.

Tom Davies couldn’t replicate his contribution at the weekend and without his usual midfield partner, Allan was a shadow of himself at times too. Too often against the Hornets Everton were swamped in the middle of the park.

Doucoure has been indicating he might be back sooner than first thought but in the meantime I would give Jean-Philippe Gbamin a chance as he seems much more likely to give the team Doucoure’s sort of contribution. It was a mystery why he didn’t get some minutes on Saturday.

The Blues manager prefers to play a midfield two in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 formation and that’s fine but it can only work if you have two very effective central midfielders who can compliment each other and work as a proper, balanced partnership.

It worked for a while when Marco Silva had Idrissa Gueye and Andre Gomes and Doucoure and Allan have been good this season.

Perhaps now, it’s time to consider a three-man midfield to overcome Doucoure’s absence and further shore up and strengthen the overall defensive solidity of the team.

Benitez hasn’t been the ultra-conservative, defensive coach that many of us including myself expected when he joined as the club’s latest manager.

His teams have actually often been very attack-minded and have been amongst the leading sides not just in England but Europe in terms of creating chances so far this campaign.

With Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray he has brought in two players who can provide what was lacking so often last season: width, pace and creativity. This allows him to play a counter-attacking game much more effectively than Ancelotti could.

In the end I don’t think there are any simple solutions to these defensive problems obviously and surely there will be efforts to bring in another central defender in January.

But perhaps a reversion to a more defensive, counter-attacking posture might be the only way to get through the next few weeks.