‘Marathon man’, ‘Machine’ – These Everton fans say the same thing about Doucoure after Leeds win
Abdoulaye Doucoure was one of two summer signings brought in to add some steel and energy to the Everton midfield and he is certainly doing just that.
The 28-year-old joined from recently relegated Watford in September and forged an impressive early-season partnership with fellow new recruit Allan at the base of the Blues midfield as Carlo Ancelotti’s side soared to dizzy heights.
The team’s form dipped and Allan has been ruled out since suffering an injury against Leicester City on December 16 but Doucoure has not let that stop him from continuing to boss the centre of the park and beyond.
A look at the Frenchman’s heatmap against Leeds United on Wednesday shows just how many yards he covered at Elland Road as he proved his midfield powerhouse credentials.
Coming up against a side who are known for their pressing and all-action displays Doucoure knew he would have to be on top of his game to deal with a revitalised Leeds who had won their last two fixtures.
Given the profile of players next to him in the Everton midfield, Andre Gomes and Gylfi Sigurdsson, there was a lot of onus on the £75,000 per week star [spotrac] to deal with the defensive duties.
He did not shirk away from these responsibilities as he made seven interceptions and won 100% (three out of three) of his defensive duels [Wyscout].
After Everton picked up a vital 2-1 win to send them into sixth in the Premier League Blues fans took to Twitter to share in their Doucoure delight.
Goodison News have picked out some of the best reactions below…
https://twitter.com/18Keizus78/status/1357127457783111682?s=20
In other Everton news, see our view on which defensive dynamite is establishing himself as a first-team mainstay.