Marco Silva, the Everton manager, knows all too well that in certain circumstances his team needs to perform better in defence. As an attacking force The Toffees are doing well, and the fact that they have scored twelve goals in open play, emphasises their creativity going forward.
As with their creative flair when in possession, the defence is reasonable solid when they are defending in open play. But it’s when they have to defend against set pieces that the cracks begin to appear. This is highlighted by the fact that there are only two teams in the Premiership with a worse record of conceding goals from free kicks – Cardiff and Southampton.
Everton’s midfield also needs some tweaking. This is shown-up by the fact that The Toffees’ vulnerability under a counter-attacked is often exposed. Along with Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Huddersfield, they have conceded two goals on the counter when the opposition breaks quickly.
It may only be two goals now, but the season has only just begun. It needs to be tightened up if Everton are to finish higher in the table at the end of the season..
There is some good news though which will add strength to Silva’s future team selections. Yerry Mina, the Columbian Centre Back, is now available for first-team selection. He has been recovering from a foot injury which has kept him sidelined since his £28.5-million transfer from Barcelona in August.
The manager decided not to risk him against Palace even though the Columbian impressed during the 2018 World Cup. Not only was he a colossus in defence, but he also scored three goals for his country, equalling the record for most goals scored by a defender in a single World Cup tournament. He joins German defenders Paul Breitner, who scored his three goals in the 1974 competition and Andreas Brehmer who scored his in 1990.
Although Mina’s presence would be a welcome event, not only for his defensive abilities, but also as a potential goal scorer from set pieces, it does, however, present manager Marco Silva with a dilemma.
Should he stick with Michael Keane, who as ex Evertonian Tony Cottee said in a recent interview needs someone good beside him to give him the confidence to secure his position? That someone could well be Kurt Zouma (on loan from Chelsea). Their defensive partnership resulted in a clean sheet and an away win against Fulham and Leicester respectively. Nor did they concede any goals in their home game last Saturday against Crystal Palace.
Given their record, it is likely to be a case of “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.”
One thing for sure is that Silva’s football brain is in fine trim. His decision to make the substitutions that he did against Palace confirm that. All three substitutes played a part in the last-minute victory.
With another two goals coming from open play rather than set pieces, The Toffees continue to show how good they can be from when they are in possession going forward. Another plus is that the three players that came on in the last game show that the squad has strength in depth.
Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes will undoubtedly be a regular first-team fixture when he gets back to full strength. He is a player of class. As for Cenk Tosun and Ademola Lookman, they have proven worthy in the front line-up whether they are there at kick-off or they are brought on as substitutes. It certainly looks as though Silva’s dream team is forming up nicely.