Sean Dyche gets Idrissa Gueye decision spot on as confirmed Everton team news emerges for Liverpool clash
Everton manager Sean Dyche has decided to keep the same team which beat Bournemouth 3-0 before the international and has correctly resisted the urge to start Idrissa Gueye.
The Senegalese international has been Dyche’s preferred option in the middle of the park so far this season, featuring in seven of their opening eight games of the season before his injury ruled him out of the Bournemouth game.
Gueye featured for his country during the international break in which Dyche may well have been tempted to start him at Anfield.
However, for Saturday’s game at Anfield (21 October), Dyche has decided to stick with Amadou Onana, James Garner and Abdoulaye Doucoure for his midfield, with Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil flanking Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The defence remains the same.
Correct call
Everton supporters have become accustomed to coming away from this fixture disappointed in recent Premier League seasons, especially at Anfield.
The Toffees’ only victory on enemy soil since the turn of the millennium came in February 2021 which came during the lockdown season with no fans present, under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti.
A win on Saturday may just be the biggest surprise in a Merseyside derby yet and despite their poor record across Stanley Park, Everton could well have had reasons to be optimistic and should not approach this game with any sort of fear after a recent upturn in form.
And Dyche’s decision to cut out the returning Gueye from the starting line-up is absolutely on the money.
Gueye’s lack of confidence and composure in possession has started to become a concern, leading to his side frequently losing the ball and inviting pressure from the opposition as he made an average of just 35.1 accurate passes per game so far this season.
His underlying possession starts are quite disastrous, ranking in the 57th percentile of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion, the bottom 32 percentile of midfielders for passes attempted, bottom 23rd percentile for progressive passes and in the bottom 40th percentile for touches in the middle third [FBRef] showing his lack of class and influence on the ball.
Against a Liverpool team that likes to press relentlessly under Jurgen Klopp, deploying Gueye so soon after his injury return could well have been a very needless and costly decision.
In other Everton news, the club made a move for one Argentinian sensation before he joined a 2022/23 relegation rival last January.