Our Everton writers select one player they feel should take the field in Sean Dyche’s struggle to stay in the Premier League.
Which player from Everton do you think will improve when they play their final ten Premier League games of the season? Everton is presently away at their training camp in Portugal.
The opinions of the ECHO sportsdesk members are heard.
Although Amadou Onana is a tremendous talent, I’m by no means the only one who has seen that he has to be contributing more to this Everton team.
After observing the Belgium international up close at Old Trafford, Everton’s statistician Gavin Buckland—who I hope won’t take too much offense when I refer to him as a “wise, old sage” on Goodison Park matters—summed it up nicely on the most recent Royal Blue podcast. “He has all the ability in the world, but those histrionics he does during games, waving his arms around, don’t really help with that image that he’s not taking the responsibility he should do as a gifted midfielder in a struggling team,” the man stated. He ought to be exerting more effort and sprinting with the ball more frequently than he currently does.
Every thing Gav says is spot on, and Michael Ball—another native Everton who got to play for his favorite club—is also speaking from the same hymn book. “I’m challenging him to stay in games more and to not let them pass him by,” he said this week in his ECHO column. “I’m harsh on him like I was harsh on Lukaku and Richarlison because they’re the big players, the match-winners, and Onana should be in the same category,” He continued. His skill, power, and presence should be used to dictate games.
This correspondent incurred the wrath of Onana supporters on social media for suggesting he fluffed his lines against Manchester United when it was needless challenges in defence and misfiring attack play that proved costly for the Blues rather than what was going on in midfield but he was part of that problem. While his giant frame has enabled him to score a couple of headed goals this season, he should be an even more potent weapon in the air and when it comes to anything beyond point-blank range, his technique for shooting has been poor.
At the other end of the pitch, he had to be bailed out by Jordan Pickford when conceding a silly free-kick just outside the area. As others have pointed out, it’s because Onana is so gifted that we’re entitled to demand more from him and regardless or not of whether he has aspirations to be performing on a grander stage, he needs to be doing it for himself too in order to secure Everton’s Premier League safety.
Matt Jones – Garner getting away with it
As the grind of a gruelling season has chipped away at the Everton squad, James Garner is one of a number of players who looks most fatigued.
After missing the majority of last season due to injury, the former Manchester United midfielder was a breath of fresh air to start the current campaign. When moved off the right flank, he added a tempo and tenacity to Everton’s midfield play.
Since a dominant performance in a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, that intensity has waned and waned.
Garner’s recent lull was perhaps best summed up by his poor corner late on against West Ham United as Everton chased an equaliser. His tame effort was indicative of an exhausted player and the visitors charged away on the counter-attack to wrap the game up.
At his best Garner is capable of bringing something different to the Everton team. During his time at Forest he was considered an elite ball-striker – someone who could impact the game with pinpoint set-piece delivery or stinging shots from distance. Those moments have been rare in royal blue as of late.
Amadou Onana demands a lot of focus in the Everton midfield due to his international profile and links to high-profile clubs. More is asked of him frequently as the talent is clearly there, albeit not channelled consistently.
Garner needs to show more though, especially if he’s to command a spot in the starting XI following Idrissa Gueye’s return to fitness. His slide in form has gone a little under the radar.
Some caveats before I name my player. He’s not the only member of Sean Dyche’s squad who is failing to hit levels shown previously and he’s not the only one who has looked in need of a breather. He also seemed to be rushed back from what, thankfully, did not turn out to be a serious injury. And it shows the measure of the man that he has continued to play while supporting his partner through her health battle.
But if Everton are going to beat relegation again, they need Dwight McNeil to step up, in very much the same way he did a year ago. It was almost 12 months to the day that the winger fired in his third goal for the club with less than a minute on the clock to earn a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Brentford. Four further goals followed – two of which were in the crucial and fabulous 5-1 victory at Brighton – and, along with Abdoulaye Doucoure, he was arguably the star of the Blues’ successful but nail-bating battle against the drop.
McNeil currently sits on two goals for the season, so if he to match the tally he notched up in his debut campaign at Goodison Park, he’s really going to have to get going as soon as Everton resume their season at Bournemouth on March 30. Hopefully this break in Portugal will do him the world of good.
Not helped by Sean Dyche’s reluctance to give Arnaut Danjuma a go from the start before the Villarreal loanee’s untimely injury, to these eyes McNeil has been shy of his best form for some time now. Perhaps the lack of options has prevented Dyche from taking McNeil out of the firing line, or perhaps he feels he cannot rest a player who, from set-pieces especially, is statistically the team’s best provider of goals.
However, with the Merseyside derby postponed and the international break coming up this weekend, it’s possible that Dyche has lost control of the situation and McNeil will return to Bournemouth rejuvenated and prepared to spearhead another survival push. The Blues must have him.
