Patrick Boyland praises Ancelotti’s team selection following Everton win v West Ham
The Athletic journalist Patrick Boyland has praised Carlo Ancelotti’s choice of team selection in Everton’s win over West Ham on Sunday.
Ancelotti made three changes to his starting line-up as the Toffees claimed a hard fought victory over the high-flying Hammers, courtesy of a first-half strike from Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Michael Keane and Yerry Mina returned at the heart of defence for the Blues after missing out against Aston Villa, while Tom Davies started for the first time since facing Tottenham last month.
Shortly after the final whistle blew for only Everton’s second win in their last eight Premier League games, Boyland took to Twitter to praise Ancelotti’s line-up at the London Stadium.
Boyland said: “Ancelotti got it right today. Horses for courses approach made sense.
“Keane & Mina negated West Ham’s aerial threat; Davies added more solidity to midfield. Everton look a much better team in games like this.”
Worked a treat
Ancelotti’s reputation among the Everton supporter base is effectively ironclad, but that hasn’t stopped the Italian from receiving criticism when he has made mistakes this season,
Occasionally Ancelotti has received flak for disagreeable line-ups, questionable tactics and underwhelming substitutions, but he certainly got it right against West Ham.
Everton have been crying out for Tom Davies over the past couple of games and his return to the side gave Allan so much more freedom on the ball, which in turn led to a Man of the Match performance from the Brazilian.
Michael Keane and Yerry Mina also brought some semblance of solidity to Everton’s troublesome backline, while dropping Mason Holgate may have given him additional motivation to continue improving after a rocky few games for the defender.
Everton set out to counteract West Ham’s strengths by presenting themselves as a resolute outfit, difficult to break down and eager to counter, and that worked well in the club’s favour.
Ancelotti got it spot on against West Ham, and hopefully he can do the same thing when the Blues face Aston Villa on Thursday.
In other Everton news, Blues eye ‘Transformed’ PL dribbling sensation, Ancelotti is a ‘big fan’.
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