By Nick Ware

11th Feb, 2021 | 10:25pm

View: Defensive dilemma for Ancelotti after Everton ace's Spurs shocker

It hasn’t always been the case in his Everton career but Yerry Mina has been a pillar of consistency for the Blues this season.

However his recent displays will have caused some consternation amongst Carlo Ancelotti and his coaching staff.

It begs the question – is Ben Godfrey now the best and most consistent centre-back at the club?

Despite Spurs coming away from Merseyside with their tails firmly between their tails after shipping five goals WhoScored awarded Mina as their lowest-rated performer with a score of 5.4.

It’s easy to see why.

The 26-year-old was nothing short of woeful and failed to inspire any sort of confidence among his teammates.

Along with his partner-in-crime Keane he failed to attempt a single tackle in the game – the only other outfield starter who did not attempt one was Steven Bergwijn, and he was substituted early in the second half.

It was his error that led to Spurs getting themselves back into the game just before half-time as his attempts to cut out Heung-Min Son’s simple pass ended in embarrassment as he let the ball run under his foot which gave Erik Lamela the chance to fire past Robin Olsen and make the scores 3-2.

Despite his solid presence Mina was also bullied in a key area of his game.

Mina has a 67.65% aerial duel success in the Premier League season which is enough to rank him in the top 15 performers [Wyscout].

In fact no player in the Premier League has competed in more aerial duels (36) this season as the Colombian attempts to assert his physical presence on the opposition, and a 72.22% success rate puts him in the top 10 for this category.

Aerial dominance was a trait seriously missing from his game against Spurs as he only won two of the five duels he contested to give one of his worst figures for the season (40%).

Mina’s compatriot Davinson Sanchez had scored only once for Spurs leading into the FA Cup tie but he trebled his total after knocking in a double v Everton and Mina can take a portion of the blame.

He should be a vocal leader who commands the penalty area yet the Blues conceded twice directly from a corner and another just after one.

The Blues have now conceded seven goals in their last two games as Ancelotti scrambles to find his best back four.

Mina and Keane were the duo present when they let in two goals at home to Newcastle United on January 30, a game Godfrey was rested for.

The 23-year-old summer recruit from Norwich City was impressive as he kept Patrick Bamford at bay in a 2-1 win over free-scoring Leeds United on February 3 and this performance, alongside the recent travails of the Blues with Mina and Keane at the helm, could see him cement his place at the heart of defence.

After his disasterclass against Spurs, Mina should be particularly worried about his first-team future.

In other Everton news, see our view on who produced a midfield masterclass v Spurs.