It happened. James Garner finally got called up to play for England’s national team during the international break, and while it’s not expected that he’ll feature for England at the upcoming World Cup, his participation is no longer out of the question.
However, he still has a job to do with the Toffees, who are trying to clinch European football for the first time this decade.
Everton will face off against Chelsea on Saturday, and Garner will have to be at his highest level if the Toffees want a positive result.
Sports Illustrated’s Ewan Ross-Murray predicts that Chelsea will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Everton, with players like Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato, and Marc Cucurella featuring in defense for the Blues.
Everton’s attacking power took a big hit when Jack Grealish went out due to injury, and David Moyes has been unwilling to try out some of the youngsters for extended minutes.
Dwight McNeil and Iliman Ndiaye have been fine as of late, but it’s clear that Everton’s offense will need to be generated from the midfield as well as the wings if they want success. Garner has been good in this category so far, generating 1.44 big chances per 90 according to FotMob.
While Chelsea’s defense is deep, none of their current available players are world-beaters aside from perhaps Marc Cucurella, who is just returning from a hamstring injury. Garner can use this game as the perfect opportunity to showcase his playmaking ability against a good side with a defense that can be exploited.
If Everton’s offense can take advantage of Garner’s attacking flexibility, it could be a long 90 minutes for the home side.