View: Sigurdsson needs to make opportunity count for Everton v Brighton
Carlo Ancelotti would not have been best pleased to see Andre Gomes suffer a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace on Monday.
The Portugal international was forced off in the first-half against the Eagles, adding to Everton’s ever increasing injury list as Gylfi Sigurdsson was called upon to take his place.
Though not officially ruled out of Everton’s upcoming clash with Brighton yet, Gomes could join fellow midfielders Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Fabian Delph on the sidelines.
With Gomes possibly unavailable to face the Seagulls, Sigurdsson will likely be tasked with replacing him and he’ll face huge responsibility to perform.
Tom Davies will play against Brighton while either Mason Holgate or Ben Godfrey could partner him in midfield, or Jean-Philippe Gbamin could make his full return.
Either way the Toffees’ fit midfield options are overwhelmingly defensive, making Sigurdsson the sole creator to operate in the centre of the park, which puts additional importance on his performance.
James Rodriguez will ease some of the burden by operating off the right as Everton’s primary creative outlet, but Sigurdsson will still be required to ease transition from depth through strong offensive distribution of the ball.
Sigurdsson has scored four times and assisted four in the Premier League this season, while WyScout stats put his passing success percentage at 86.3%, indicating the Iceland international’s potential to have influence for Everton.
However he has also found himself to be the subject of ire from the Everton fan base on a number of occasions over the years, while he’s frequently been accused of going absent when he is relied upon to stand up and be counted.
Everton have just nine games of the current campaign remaining to secure qualification to either the Champions League or the Europa League ahead of next season, and Sigurdsson will be counted upon to make a real impact against Brighton.
The 31-year needs to be at his best to help ensure Everton pick up as many points as possible without suffering any further hiccups as they approach the end of the season.
In other Everton news, £27m Everton loan star appears destined to return to Goodison in the summer.
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