Everton boss faces selection dilemas as team prepare for final game of 2023

2023 is yet again not a year Everton supporters will look back on fondly. Another change of manager mid-season, another relegation battle only just survived and further seemingly endless turmoil off the pitch have made this once more, a forgettable twelve months.

Now the Toffees travel to the Midlands for a final game of the year in need of points after a difficult week and two consecutive Premier League defeats.

Those losses to Spurs and Manchester City underlined that while definite progress has been made under Sean Dyche's leadership, there is obviously still some way to go.

True, the Blues could have got at least a point at Tottenham and might well have but for a very controversial decision to rule out what looked a perfectly good goal. However, they were ultimately very much second best against City.

That isn't a surprise of course given the gulf in class that has opened up between the the clubs over the last decade or so.

City have built a dynasty while Everton frittered away hundreds of millions on failed player signings and a managerial merry-go-round which would make you make you dizzy.

But even so the Toffees had started well and gone a goal up at Goodison on Wednesday. They couldn't get another though and lacked the resources on the bench to make decisive substitutions and perhaps press home their advantage.

A lack of options in his squad is one of the major drawbacks Dyche is dealing with as a result of all that failed past spending and the need to trim numbers drastically.

The lack of players is beginning to tell and some players in the home side had started to look a little leggy by the end of the match against City.

For the Wolves game, Dyche is certainly without Idrissa Gueye, Ashley Young and probablyboth Abdoulaye Doucoure and Seamus Coleman, plus James Tarkowski and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are possible doubts too.

As a result of this other players such as Amadou Onana and Andre Gomes are going to have to step up in midfield. Meanwhile, if Calvert-Lewin doesn't make it Beto will be starting up front despite only scoring one Premier League goal.

All this is not good news heading into a match that the Blues really need to win of they can, especially given that both Luton and Burnley have enjoyed an upturn in fortunes that is very inconvinient for Everton.