The last time out against Bournemouth was when Oumar Niasse cemented cult-hero status with two goals from the bench to save the game, further prolonging Ronald Koeman’s stay at Everton for just a little while longer.
While there is a positive and negative there, it was overall a good day as it was only our second win of the season.
We find ourselves in much different circumstances at this point, after going through another manager in David Unsworth before we arrived at Sam Allardyce, who is unbeaten in 7 games since his arrival at the club. While many of the fanbase are already annoyed with Allardyce’s football, nobody can deny that we have got some decent results and that it’s a complete turnaround since Koeman’s Everton seemed like they were conceding 4 goals every game.
But this is a real test for the gaffer. It’s a game we can win, easily, if we go at Bournemouth and don’t sit deep like we did against West Brom. If we win the game, I can imagine many of those discontented Blues will be entirely behind Sam.
I will.
GK - Jordan Pickford
Shock.
RB - Jonjoe Kenny
Jonjoe Kenny is on track to becoming a very, very good right-back. He has put in some excellent performances under both David Unsworth and especially under Allardyce.
He has all the attributes of a captain in the making (Read: He shouts extremely loudly and is scarily aggressive) and more than that, the attributes of a very good footballer.
His budding link with Aaron Lennon is becoming vital for our attacking intent.
CB - Mason Holgate
Holgate was excellent again last time out and has done nothing so far to suggest that he should be dropped.
CB - Ashley Williams
Back to a four-at-the-back as we don’t really need the third central defender against a team like Bournemouth.
We need more bodies going forward, so Michael Keane loses out, but we have to try everything for three points here.
LB - Cuco Martina
Becoming less of a walking hazard , Martina has put in some assured shifts recently and will start again this weekend.
CM - Davy Klaassen
One day.
It’s still My XI so Klaassen will start until I see enough from him that suggests he’s a lost cause.
Davies has not been great and Klaassen can be excellent, we’ve seen that at Ajax.
CM - Morgan Schneiderlin
Hopefully it’s a return to form, if recent displays are anything to go by.
But I won’t fall for you again that easily Morgan.
CM - Wayne Rooney
He is over his illness now and we have sorely missed him, with consecutive goalless draws and very few chances created, we can see just how vital he is to our goalscoring, whether that be setting them up or putting them in himself.
RW - Nikola Vlašić
To completely counter what I just said about the Kenny-Lennon link, Vlašić starts.
He has been mysteriously out of the picture since Allardyce’s arrival in what is one of my only serious gripes with him, as Vlašić looked extremely promising beforehand.
LW - Gylfi Sigurdsson
Rooney needing Sigurdsson was something established early in the season, but now we also realise that Sigurdsson needs Rooney to be the outlet behind him who can set up the playmaker from deep.
We saw this in his goal against Swansea and he has struggled since Rooney has been out of the side.
ST - Oumar Niasse
Calvert-Lewin gave it everything against Chelsea and probably shouldn’t have started against West Brom, as he looked completely gassed.
Now he should definitely be rested as we need a runner up top who can get on the end of the playmaking efforts of Sigurdsson and Rooney, and Niasse is the only sensible option.