The management of a professional Premier League football team is an intricate project with many moving parts and many decisions to be made. It’s not just about running a few training sessions Monday through Friday and then picking a best starting XI team sheet come 3:00pm on Saturday afternoon.
The planning and provision of each individual player, the preparation of the gameday team, and projection of the wider squad development is vital for advancement. The succession planning, upgrading of the roster, and the next generation recruitment have equal importance.
Fluctuations in form, suspensions, and injuries all conspire to cloud the soup. Occasionally there are unforeseen circumstances, self-deprecating red cards, and annoyingly scheduled international tournaments wedged onto the calendar.
All factors need to be considered when formulating the periodization of your team, season, and squad.
So how is David Moyes doing with Everton FC?
Everton’s home defeat to Arsenal last Saturday night was a harsh test following the fallout from the previous 2-0 beating at Chelsea. With more realistic targets imminently coming the outcome of games versus Burnley, Notts Forest, Brentford, and Wolverhampton Wanderers will be pivotal.
At the final whistle of the Chelsea game, two of Everton’s starting players departed for AFCON international duty, Idrissa Gana Gueye’s and Iliman Ndiaye. These mid-season departures were very well known very much ahead of time. These unavailable players leave Everton aggressively depleted.
Anonymous midfielder 'Big Merl' is incrementally returning from his latest hernia injury and subsequent operation. Hopefully, now in starting contention hallway through the season.
Séamus Coleman is sadly unreliable as a first-team option. Nathan Patterson is either out of favor or injured, often both. Patterson is surely a player that can be used, but he seems destined for an Everton exit without being utilized, even when experiencing hostile right back selection struggles.
The right back berth occupied by central defender Jake O’Brien. His central defensive berth occupied by substitute central defender Michael Keene. Jarrad Branthwaite injured for dramatically longer than wanted. The knock-on effects all compromising the next.
Midfield catalyst Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall now injured. The manager declaring that he was hurt leading into playing against previous club Chelsea and then getting more hurt. Absolute ridiculous.
So coming into the heavy seasonal schedule, the known absences are absent, and the predicted injuries are injured. Football has a way of repeating itself and also kicking you at the most unfortunate time. The art is to plan accordingly, predict the problems and find the solutions before the problems become problems. Everton has done none of that.
Tim Iroegbunam is a Premier League central midfield player in-waiting. Irorgbunam has merits, some helpful athleticism, and a positive attitude. Holding down the midfield business against $100 million opponents was almost unfair. Expecting him to replace Idrissa and be as good or maybe better, unreasonable. But not to have prepared Tim for at least a fighter’s chance is unforgivable. The kid needed some minutes, some game time, and some experience. Can’t just bench-sit and watch then expect to come in versus Premier League opponents. Stepping stones to success were needed.
Dwight McNeal has been outcast for most of the David Moyes second exposure. A lone creative outlet under Sean Dyche, Dwight has been nothing more than an afterthought nowadays. However, when your squad is so small and going to be missing some integral pieces, everything and everyone needs to be an immediate thought.
Carlos Alcaraz deserves some starts, he certainly deserves some minutes. But sometimes nothing at all. Alcaraz is not special, he’s not amazing, but he is certainly valuable enough to feature for Everton somewhere.
Tyler Dibling is in a similar situation. He played 30+ Premier League games for previous club Southampton, yet has only just accumulated 90 minutes for Everton this whole half season. The club can claim he is not ready. The club have an obligation to ensure that he is ready.
We need these guys now. Maybe Moyes doesn’t want these guys out of choice, but he certainly needs these guys now out of necessity. And we have known that we are going to need these fringe players for months. At least we should have known.
Should have known and should have prepared.
David Moyes has always been a next-best-player kind of coach when it comes to team selection. The best eleven players start. Somebody injured, then the twelfth best player is up next. Another unavailability, then the thirteenth best player. Irrelevant of compatibility, simply the next best next. Squad rotation, not a David Moyes concept at all.
There are plenty of opportunities to integrate the alternative, try a new game plan, test a player in a new position, tweak a system of play. Maybe make a substitution, you have 5.
Experiment. Rotate. Learn. Prepare.
Teo up front for a few minutes, Beto AND Thierno Barry. Ndiaye as a second striker for ten minutes. Ndiaye back on the left. Jack Grealish central in the #10. Swap the wingers for a spell. Dibling getting a start with the Starting XI not the scrambled League Cup mismatch. Three at the back allowing two forwards, 3-5-2. Something different, something educational.
Above all the poor decisions and mismanagement there needs to be a pathway to bring in the next layer of players, because you’re going to need them at some point.
We are at that point now. Tim, Dwight, Alcaraz, and Tyler Dibling are all required, we need you. Chelsea and Arsenal games have been wasted. Let’s hope that Burnley and Forest results, performances and successes unveil the missing strategy.