Spurs v Everton Preview: five areas to analyse

Crucial game to measure Lampard’s work so far against unpredictable Spurs

5. Can Everton end away day blues?

Believe it or not this could be an away game that suits Everton to try to turn around their relegation away form on Monday night.

Spurs and Everton have usually done better when they have less possession, this was certainly witnessed at Goodison Park in the meeting between the two earlier in the season where they both gave the ball away in the final third far too often.

The emphasis is always on the home side more and Spurs having not played at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium for a while will be eager to get the home fans onside after four successive away games. Also the last two home games were defeats to Southampton and Wolves respectively so they will want to put a performance on for their fans.

In one way this will not help Everton, especially to start with, but if they can keep it tight early on it could well assist them as the game develops.

Everton won here last season, albeit in an empty stadium, by picking off Spurs in midfield as they prevented any space in behind. They then linked up going forward with minimal success until a free kick gave Calvert-Lewin the chance to head the winner halfway through the second half. It was noticeable the lack of clear cut chances Spurs were denied all throughout this game.

Certainly Conte will not waiver from his wing backs system and 5-2-3 with Kane dropping off to link up and Hojbjerg the main link in midfield.

Lampard will probably stick with the side that narrowly lost to City last weekend except for the possibility to get Gray and Calvert-Lewin on the pitch together under his stewardship for the first time. As discussed earlier Richarlison and Gordon surely won’t lose there places so only one of these will probably replace Iwobi with Gray my favourite for this one.

With Spurs’ inconsistencies and Everton’s woeful away form but showing more promise especially going forward under Lampard, this is not as easy a call to make on who wins as many will think.

The key could well be which Spurs team turns up, the one that won at City and hammered Leeds or the ineffective and turgid one that turned up at Burnley and Middlesbrough?

Spurs rightly will be favourites, but Everton could well provide a stern test with this midfield three now in place.

I fancy a score draw on Monday night and even that will be a good development for Everton’s away form with crucial games against teams around them this season on their travels.