It's very clear exactly what David Moyes is going to do now that Jarrad Branthwaite is set to miss the rest of the season.
It's clear because the Everton manager is going to do exactly what he did when his best defender was missing for the beginning of the year. Michael Keane is going to step right in at center back next to James Tarkowski, and little thought is going to be given to other options.
The thing is, every Evertonian knows what Keane is at this point. He's generally a solid defender, but can be prone to errors, many of which come simply because of his physical deficiencies. Sometimes he shuts off for a moment, too, but mostly he just isn't pacey or quick enough to fill the void.
That's all exacerbated by the fact that Tarkowski isn't exactly the most fleet of foot either, making the center back pairing one of the less athletically inclined duos in the Premier League.
The situation illustrates just how important Branthwaite, who is everything Keane, respectfully, is not, is for this Everton side, and how sorely he'll be missed as the season comes to an end without him on the pitch.
The injury feels like an opportune time for Moyes to try something different with his defensive lineup, even if that would be outside of the Scot's normal way of considering how to fill the whole Branthwaite's absence leaves in his squad.
The biggest opportunity belongs to Jake O'Brien, who has ably filled in at right back since nearly the moment Moyes returned to Merseyside, save for a handful of matches in his natural position. Branthwaite's injury should spur Moyes to slot O'Brien in next to Tarkowski to try to replicate that pairing.
That, of course, leaves a spot at right back, and while there isn't a player who appears to have a leg up as a possibly long-term answer there, it doesn't mean Moyes can't survive the rest of the season with the likes of James Garner, Nathan Patterson, or even Merlin Rohl covering at fullback.
Sure, the case could be made that moving O'Brien to center back just creates the same problem (a player out of position) from another spot, but the long-term upside for JoB in particular feels vital.
It's O'Brien, not Tark or Keane, that should be the man playing next to Branthwaite for the foreseeable future, and getting O'Brien back into that mindset to end this campaign so that he can flow seamlessly into the role to begin next year would be invaluable.
This is certainly the best move that Moyes could and should make, although the likelihood is that he'll maintain the status quo to close out the season.
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