Tactical Breakdown: Can Rafa Benitez’s Everton stop the ruthless Brentford?
Benitez will have to use a makeshift attack that will more than likely consist of:
Alex Iwobi, Andros Townsend, Anthony Gordon and Salomon Rondon.
One thing Everton have been clamouring for is the use of the club’s youth players, with young forward Lewis Dobbin being one of the players mentioned the most.
Dobbin made a name for himself in the Everton youth set-up in the 20/21 season but has made a mark on the U23s team this season, scoring two goals and grabbing an assist in his nine appearances in the Premier League 2. Dobbin has also been included on Rafa’s bench for multiple games, and fans believe that this game could be the perfect opportunity to give him a chance.
Dobbin offers a pacey and direct approach, something that would suit Everton’s counter-attacking system much more than Rondon, who often seems to slow the Toffee’s attack down, leading to Everton often having to restart their attack instead of being able to catch teams on the break.
Ellis Simms is another player who could thrive if given a chance by Rafa. The 20-year old scored 10 goals in 23 appearances for Blackpool last season in League One, helping the Seasiders to promotion, scoring a brace in the playoff semi-finals against Oxford United.
The young striker has been injured but will be looking to prove himself after signing a new contract extension at Goodison Park, and now is the best chance for him to try and do that.
Simms will be able to offer Everton much more energy up front, and similarly to Dobbin, he would be much more effective in Toffees counter-attacking system than the Venezuelan. A chance to catch Rafa’s eye is all Simms could need, he’s proven at every level that he is a goal-scoring threat, and now he just needs to be offered that opportunity in the Premier League.
It will be a difficult 90 minutes for Everton, but it is a winnable game, especially if Everton play smart football and avoid making mistakes during set-pieces. The Toffees need to catch Brentford on the break with pace, as they will struggle to use Rafa’s usual crossing approach against a defence that is so effective in the air.
It will be a clash that could give Everton some form going into the most important game of the season so far, the first Merseyside Derby.
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