You would think that Everton will attack the January transfer window with a fierce intensity that was absent across the summer, but the Friedkin Group have placed the club up for sale, casting the Toffees back toward the same, cold uncertainty as before.
Back then, Everton were rudderless, but David Moyes‘ return to the dugout has ended regular concerns of their security as a Premier League outfit. Even against the backdrop of so much instability, Everton are fifth in the league standings after six games, unbeaten.
However, they are clearly lacking the kind of edge in attack that should have been provided toward the end of the transfer market. The sales of Beto and Iliman Ndiaye have proved costly, with Brennan Johnson failing to provide in their absence.
How Johnson played vs Hull
Thierno Barry, at least, has started the season in comparatively prolific form. He scored against Hull, taking his Premier League tally to three from six this season – with three more strikes in the Carabao Cup.
However, Johnson continues to flatter to deceive after his summer transfer from Crystal Palace, replacing Dwight McNeil, who headed the other way, at the Hill Dickinson.
He might have broken his duck against Hull, but for another contentious VAR decision that, like so many before it, went against the Toffees. That said, the Welsh winger’s overall play still left a lot to be desired.
Replaced by Tyrique George after an hour, Johnson created a chance and probed against a committed Tigers backline, but he failed to offer a single defensive contribution and lost all three contested duels.
Given the state of Everton’s wide defensive areas right now, he needs to do a lot better.
Branthwaite must play centre-back
Jarrad Branthwaite, left-footed central defensive extraordinaire, was forced into a makeshift left-back role at the weekend. Vitalii Mykolenko was injured on international duty with Ukraine, and Moyes is short on options across the park.
He was dribbled past twice and didn’t attempt to carry the ball forward himself. Moreover, he was nutmegged by Ollie McBurnie in the build-up to Hull’s opener. Still, Barry should have finished after Branthwaite created a glorious opportunity, and he did a decent stand-in job for Everton’s injured left-back.
That said, Everton podcast host Ian Croll belives he cannot become a regular out on the left, saying, “Branthwaite at left-back worries me.” As Croll suggests, the demands are different. Suddenly, Branthwaite will be forced to dart forward and pull different physical levers.
|
Jarrad Branthwaite’s Premier League Career |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Apps |
Minutes |
|
26/27 |
6 |
540′ |
|
25/26 |
10 |
681′ |
|
24/25 |
30 |
2,510′ |
|
23/24 |
35 |
3,117′ |
|
22/23 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
21/22 |
6 |
388′ |
Given his expertise as a centre-half, and his track record on the injury front, it’s crucial that his fitness levels are preserved across the campaign.
Everton defensive duo must never start together again
Branthwaite is Everton’s best player – but he needs to star at centre-back. Moyes experimented with something similar last season, and it resulted in a summer transfer window with a singular, and unfulfilled, goal in the fanbase’s mind.
Indeed, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles already something of a mixed bag at right-back, Everton cannot afford to dabble with such unconventionality, even if Moyes’ hand was forced as Mykolenko continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
But as a full-back pairing, Branthwaite and Maitland-Niles are not the answer for Everton. It beggars belief that this is the same problem, thereabouts, that has plagued
Replacing Maitland-Niles with Jake O’Brien at right-back in the closing stages almost added insult to injury.
The one-time Arsenal youngster is a competent passer, and his assist for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s strike in Hull marked evidence of that. However, he was at fault for both of the Tigers’ goals, and it’s pretty clear that Everton have not shored up at right-back – that glaring issue which predated the summer window and was bungled last winter.
Let’s be realists: Moyes must persist with Maitland-Niles at right-back, even if he frustrates at times. But pairing him with Branthwaite on the opposite flank is not going to do the Merseyside outfit any favours as they look to better last year’s effort toward breaching the European barriers which have forbade Everton entry for the past decade.