Game used for reference: Mansfield Town 4-1 Leyton Orient, 2025/2026 EFL League One, Round 5
Mansfield Town struggled last season in the highly competitive EFL League One. They finished 17th out of 24 after tallying up 54 points.
This season, however, they’ve pulled off three consecutive wins and are quickly picking up some momentum.
They’re a side that operates better when a game is wide open tactically. They aren’t the type of team to bore you away with possession. They like to switch play, go quickly, and make something happen in just a few passes.
However, when the game state shifts to a calmer tone, they struggle to maintain possession and opt for a defensive strategy.
Everton are clearly the favorites, but don’t be fooled: Mansfield can score in a flash.
The Toffees will have to control possession and break through their opponents, who will most likely set up in a low block. If Adam Aznou is healthy, this would be a good game to use his pace and overlapping presence on the left side to make Mansfield open up their lines and let the Evertonian midfielders run rampant.
Fans should expect some rotation for this match, and in the midfield, Harrison Armstrong could step in and provide valuable minutes. The 18-year-old subbed in during Everton’s 2-0 win against Brighton, and although he is a candidate to go out on loan, the club obviously values him, and this game could be a good opportunity to see what he can do.
The frontline for Everton is impossible to predict for this match. Dibling might be ready, but Moyes might not risk throwing him into a competitive game after he just signed with the club. Ndiaye, McNeil, Alcaraz, and Grealish are all options as well for the left and central attacking positions. At the striker position, Barry could start and continue his good form, or Beto will be given a chance to prove that he is still Everton’s starting striker.
Moyes has a lot of choices to make, but if you compare that to his lack of choices in the Premier League Summer, you can see that the club has come a long way in just a few weeks when it comes to personnel. But now, it’s time to use them, and this game presents the perfect opportunity.