Everton aim to get back to winning ways when they face Tottenham at the Hill Dickinson Stadium today, and TEAMtalk can explain why David Moyes could make two changes to his starting XI, as well as one big tactical shift for the clash.
The Toffees have got off to a good start this season – particularly at their new stadium, where they are unbeaten, having won two and drawn two Premier League games so far.
They lost 2-0 to a resurgent Manchester City side last weekend, a result that has seen them drop down the table.
But there were positives to take from the game, and there is no reason why Everton shouldn’t be targeting a win against Spurs.
Two Everton players are unavailable for the clash. They confirmed a hammer blow earlier this week: Jarrad Branthwaite has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. He has undergone surgery, which will keep him out for several months.
“We had him back, we had him back in training,” Moyes said in a press conference yesterday. “We expected him to be very close for Man City, but it just didn’t feel quite right, so we got it checked and got some work done on it.”
Nathan Patterson is also out due to a foot injury and is undergoing surgery on a hernia while he is sidelined, meaning he won’t be available for a few weeks.
Everton aim to get back to winning ways when they face Tottenham at the Hill Dickinson Stadium today, and TEAMtalk can explain why David Moyes could make two changes to his starting XI, as well as one big tactical shift for the clash.
The Toffees have got off to a good start this season – particularly at their new stadium, where they are unbeaten, having won two and drawn two Premier League games so far.
They lost 2-0 to a resurgent Manchester City side last weekend, a result that has seen them drop down the table.
But there were positives to take from the game, and there is no reason why Everton shouldn’t be targeting a win against Spurs.
Two Everton players are unavailable for the clash. They confirmed a hammer blow earlier this week: Jarrad Branthwaite has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. He has undergone surgery, which will keep him out for several months.
“We had him back, we had him back in training,” Moyes said in a press conference yesterday. “We expected him to be very close for Man City, but it just didn’t feel quite right, so we got it checked and got some work done on it.”
Nathan Patterson is also out due to a foot injury and is undergoing surgery on a hernia while he is sidelined, meaning he won’t be available for a few weeks.
Michael Keane has been one of the Toffees’ players of the season so far, proving the club right in their decision to extend his contract at the end of 2024/25. He has been defensively sturdy and is arguably their biggest threat from set-pieces at the moment.
Vitaliy Mykolenko remains Everton’s only real left-back option except youngster Adam Aznou, who hasn’t looked ready to start a Premier League game since his switch from Bayern Munich over the summer. I expect Mykolenko to start again.
Idrissa Gana Gueye has continued to show his importance to the side this season and he will be key to helping Everton win the midfield battle against Tottenham with his tackles and interceptions.
But I believe that the second big change for Everton could be Merlin Rohl stepping into midfield instead of Garner for his first Premier League start. Moyes is a huge fan of the German, who came off the bench against Man City. “We’ve been really impressed with what we’ve seen from Merlin,” Moyes said in an interview with the Liverpool Echo. “Certainly, his physicals are something else, they really are, so there’s lots about him we like.”
Iliman Ndiaye was one of the best players on the pitch in the defeat to Man City and he will remain one of the first names on the team sheet for Moyes, barring an injury. His form is attracting interest from multiple clubs, as TEAMtalk transfer insider Fraser Fletcher reported, but the Toffees insist that he is NOT for sale.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gives Everton creativity and control in the No 10 position. He can contribute assists and goals and could be the key that unlocks the Spurs defence this weekend.
Jack Grealish missed the clash against Man City due to being unable to play against his parent club, but he has had a superb start to the season for Everton and will relish the challenge of playing against Spurs, especially after scoring last time out against Crystal Palace. He is set to replace Charly Alcaraz in the starting XI, who didn’t really stand out against the Cityzens despite a superb performance against Palace the week previous.
The striker position is still something of a conundrum for Moyes but Beto is likely to retain his spot up front. The other option, Thierno Barry, has struggled to find his feet since his move from Villarreal over the summer. Beto has only scored once this term and Moyes could decide to change things – but I think that’s unlikely.