Idrissa Gueye a liability in first half for Everton vs Newcastle but Sean Dyche looks stuck with him
Idrissa Gana Gueye has proven to be the weak link in the Everton line up in the first half against Newcastle, and he is threatening to undermine a strong performance from the home side.
Despite the Toffees largely controlling the action and carrying a lot more goal threat than the visitors, with double-digit shots on goal, it has been the veteran midfielder who has offered the Magpies their most likely route back into the game.
His regular fouls in the midfield led to a yellow card after a challenge on Lewis Miley after 36 minutes, which might have been the most unfortunate of his late tackles because he appeared to slip.
But the 34-year-old put himself in that position after being lucky to escape a yellow earlier in the half when he brought down former Everton winger Anthony Gordon.
According to SofaScore stats it was the Senegalese’s fourth foul of the half which got him the booking, as his regular transgressions have allowed the Magpies to relieve pressure and given them the chance to swing balls into Jordan Pickford’s box.
On another day Sean Dyche would surely be contemplating his removal at the break so as not to undermine the dominance his side have had in front of the home fans.
But the Toffees boss looks to be stuck with the former PSG man given Amadou Onana is already out injured, and illness to James Garner earlier in the day has left him short of options.
Already Dyche has had to drop Abdoulaye Doucouré back into the centre next to Gueye and push Ashley Young up into midfield to accommodate the last-minute absence.
There are no obvious replacement options on the bench for Everton so the manager is going to badly need a more professional performance in the second half from the lone senior specialist at the position.
Given the absentees he would have been relying on Gueye’s extensive experience but so far it has not shone through.
With the attacking players suffering from the usual struggles to make the most of their chances in a goalless 45 minutes it could only take one slip-up to let the visitors turn the game when points are crucial.
In other Everton news, Newcastle are now “likely” to pay the Toffees £5million.