Amadou Onana suspension opens Everton door for midfield outcasts v Brighton
After Everton midfielder Amadou Onana picked up a one-game suspension for his fifth yellow card of the season against Manchester City, Frank Lampard faces a serious selection headache.
The Toffees face Brighton in the Premier League on Tuesday (3 January), but following a deserved draw against Pep Guardiola’s side, Lampard would desperately have loved to stick with the same starting XI.
After conceding to Erling Haaland in the opening half an hour, Everton showed remarkable composure to navigate their way through Manchester City’s constant attacking storm, with Demarai Gray netting a stunning equaliser on the counterattack.
Starting in a midfield three alongside Idrissa Gueye and Alex Iwobi, Belgium international Onana pressed and defended aggressively against City’s stars whilst never lacking quality when in possession.
But after picking up a yellow and having to serve a one-match suspension, who does Lampard bring into the XI in his stead?
Both Tom Davies and Abdoulaye Doucoure came off the bench during the closing stages at the weekend and would be the most natural like-for-like replacement in the middle of the park.
If the Toffees boss wanted to set up in a similar vein to the weekend, French-born Doucoure could well be set for a rare start, having played a mere 189 minutes of Premier League action so far this campaign.
His last start for the Merseyside club came in the 1-0 loss to Chelsea in mid-June of last year, while Davies hasn’t been awarded a starting berth since August. If Lampard is to stick with the same formation, both players carry their risks of rustiness and injury.
However, with Antony Gordon – who missed the City game with illness – likely to return to the squad, a change in formation could therefore be on the cards, with a front three of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Gordon, and match-winner Demarai Gray still a possibility.
Onana has left a gaping hole in that Toffees midfield, and both Doucoure and Davies could now be set for a rare chance to shine against Brighton.