James Garner axed amid Amadou Onana fitness update from Sean Dyche – Predicted Everton XI vs Crystal Palace
Sean Dyche is predicted to make two key changes to his Everton starting XI for the trip to Crystal Palace following his pre-match press conference.
Having been overrun in midfield and toothless up front in the 3-1 defeat at home to Fulham a week ago (15 April) the Toffees boss is predicted to bring in his pair of returning stars Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Amadou Onana in place of Neal Maupay and James Garner.
With Goodison Park misfit Maupay still struggling even in a two Dyche is also likely to revert to his tried and tested 4-2-3-1 formation to bolster the centre of the park, by moving Alex Iwobi centrally and shifting Demarai Gray to the wing.
The manager’s update on Thursday (20 April) suggests that both his long-missing number nine, and his Belgian midfield star will be a welcome return to the line up, with the former having played 70 minutes in the friendly with Chester in midweek and the latter returning to training.
Dyche said, via the Liverpool Echo of Calvert-Lewin: “He’ll certainly be in the thinking without a doubt. The game the other day was all about him really. We got some other minutes into players but it was basically for the end of a rehab period so we’re very pleased that he came through that and felt good.”
And of Onana: “Ama has made a bit more of a recovery, he was out there today but we’ll see how that reacts tomorrow and Seamus [Coleman] won’t be right for this one.”
With the captain still out Dyche had been predicted to end his attachment to playing Ben Godfrey in full-back roles that don’t particularly suit him.
But since he saw fit to specifically suggest early-season starter Nathan Patterson is not yet suitable for this level, the Scot now seems unlikely to start.
Of the former Rangers defender the Everton manager said, as per the Daily Record: “Patto is a young player still, you forget that – they’re developing players, they’re not rounded Premier League bona fide players, they’ve got to develop and learn about that. Again, these are tough times for them to learn through but that’s the challenge.”
Therefore, other than dropping Maupay and Garner Dyche is expected to name the same starters, with Jordan Pickford in goal, Vitalii Mykolenko, James Tarkowski and Michael Keane joining Godfrey at the back, Idrissa Gana Gueye partnering Onana with Iwobi, while Gray and Dwight McNeil will man the flanks with Calvert-Lewin the lone striker.