After suffering a disappointing yet expected 2-0 defeat away at the Etihad Stadium last week, Everton are gearing up to face yet another top 6 team, with this week’s opponents coming in the form of Tottenham Hotspur at the Hill Dickinson stadium.
Everton’s defeat to Manchester City is hardly cause for concern. Sometimes, you just have to hold your hands up and say you conceded two goals to one of the best strikers this league has ever seen, and one who is undoubtedly the best in the world right now. You simply have to take your chances against a team who are going for a league title, and Everton did not do that. The strikers appeared to be the difference in this match, with Beto missing two chances and Haaland dispatching two.
Whilst the result is not of concern, events in the game somewhat are. David Moyes’ substitutions were inexplicable after the positivity off the bench against Crystal Palace; Merlin Rohl being substituted on as a right-winger ahead of £40m signing Tyler Dibling caused confusion among supporters. Perhaps this was an attempt to try something new knowing that the game was done and dusted? I certainly hope so.
Looking forwards, Sunday’s opponents have been a confusing team this season, to say the least. Whilst they sit in sixth and are only two points off second place, Spurs have flattered to deceive for large parts of the season. Late comebacks against Brighton, Wolves and Bodo Glimt have papered over a few of the cracks at the club and, whilst Thomas Frank is a superb manager, he is struggling to get the most out of his attacking talent. Regardless of their performances, Frank is doing what he does best – grinding out results. Sunday’s game will be far from simple due to this.
Everton and Tottenham Hotspur – History
Everton are unbeaten at home against Spurs since December 2018, a match which saw a 6-2 demolition from the away team.
This fixture saw a memorable FA Cup tie in 2021 under manager Carlo Ancelotti, where Everton came away with a 5-4 win courtesy of a Bernard winner in extra time.
David Moyes gained his first win in his second stint as Everton boss in this fixture last season, where the Toffees won 3-2 after racing into a 3-0 lead. Iliman Ndiaye scored an incredible solo effort.
Team News
Jarrad Branthwaite has undergone hamstring surgery after suffering a setback in training last week. He is now set for an extended spell on the sidelines.
Midfielder Merlin Rohl returned to the squad against Manchester City last week.
Jack Grealish will return to the Everton team after his ineligibility against Manchester City.
Spurs defender Cristian Romero is expected to miss Sunday’s game after being injured in the warm-up vs Aston Villa last week, with Thomas Frank stating he has suffered an adductor strain. Destiny Udogie is also unlikely to feature due to injury.
Forwards Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani remain sidelined with injury.
Mathys Tel will be expected to start on Sunday due to not being included in Spurs’ Champions League squad.
What the Manager says
On Iliman Ndiaye – ‘Ili’s hugely impressed me with how he’s played. He’s gone from the left side to the right side. He can play either side. I think he’s been better there. He’s been so good, we’re getting goals from him. His goal return has been good for the role he plays.’
On Thomas Frank – ‘He did a great job over the years at Brentford. It was no surprise he was going to get one of the big jobs somewhere down the line.’
On Branthwaite’s surgery – ‘We had him back in training. We expected him to be very close for Man City, but it didn’t feel quite right, so we got it checked and got some work done on it.’
Everton Key Player
Iliman Ndiaye – Ndiaye shone against Manchester City last week, putting in possibly his best performance not just of the season, but in an Everton shirt in general – he was unlucky not to come away with any goal contributions. Not only that, but his dribbling also seemed to reach another level in the absence of Jack Grealish, with three or four mazy runs capturing the eyes of many fans. In a game where Everton probably did not deserve anything, Ndiaye was unfortunate to be on the losing side.
Last week felt like a ‘shop window’ performance from Ndiaye. Away at a Big 6 ground, the star man of the team that day, he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and constantly dragged his team up the pitch. Against Spurs, it could be a different story. Thomas Frank’s teams will sit back more away from home, meaning there is less space for Ndiaye to burst into. As well as this, the return of Jack Grealish could hinder Ndiaye’s ability to get on the ball – the majority of Everton’s play goes through him. I expect Ndiaye’s performance last week to be a turning point for him, however – a performance like that against one of the best teams in the world will do his confidence the world of good.
One to watch for Spurs
Mohammed Kudus – Throughout his time in the Premier League at rivals West Ham, the Ghanaian winger has constantly proven why he was so highly rated at Ajax. Kudus boasts what I believe to be up there with the best crossing ability in the whole Premier League – helping him get off to a solid start at Spurs with four assists in his first eight league games.
Whilst fellow new signing Xavi Simons has struggled to kickstart his Spurs career, Kudus bedded in immediately with two assists on his debut against Burnley. Since then, he has undoubtedly been Spurs’ most consistent forward option in a squad which has struggled attacking-wise recently under the defensively minded Thomas Frank.
Kudus scored his first goal for Spurs in a 2-1 win at Elland Road before the previous international break, in the form of a counter attack – this will be Spurs’ biggest threat on Sunday, especially playing away from home.
Final Thoughts
Everton do not have anything to fear going into this match. Whilst this Spurs team is nowhere near as disastrous as Postecoglou’s team which finished 17th last season, their current position of sixth hardly tells the full story either. After a series of late goals to squeak out draws, Spurs have fizzled out after a positive start to the season which saw four wins from five; this was confirmed with their dreary 0-0 draw with Monaco midweek.
Spurs have failed to record more than 1.5xG in a single match since Gameweek 1 against newly promoted Burnley and, whilst they certainly find ways to keep scoring, this surely will not be sustainable. Everton rarely concede more than two goals in matches, so Moyes’ solid defensive structure should not be under too much pressure on Sunday.
In terms of Everton, a win here could do them a world of good before eight days of rest. A win against a Big 6 team could christen the Hill Dickinson Stadium as a fortress, a reputation it is already beginning to form after the Toffees’ unbeaten start so far.
Prediction
1-0. Everton need to start capitalising on teams’ poor form. Draws against out of form Aston Villa and West Ham, whilst far from disastrous, were frustrating seeing how compact the league table currently is, and where those extra points could have taken them – not to mention the defeat at Molineux in the Carabao Cup! A win on Sunday could really turn the season on its head.
This match-up hardly screams ‘goal-fest’. Whilst Everton’s attack is noticeably better this season, it is still one-dimensional. Pass to Grealish, pass to Grealish, pass to Grealish. Let Grealish dribble. Outside of him, the rest of the team struggles to create. Set pieces have fallen off a cliff compared to previous seasons, and both strikers cannot find the back of the net. Spurs have similar issues with their forwards lacking in goals, with former Everton favourite Richarlison out of favour and Mathys Tel not looking entirely comfortable in the Premier League. Due to this, I can see Everton’s defence standing firm and the Blues grinding out a 1-0 win. Tarkowski winner.
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