Everton: Sean Dyche surely left with no choice but to start Andre Gomes v Manchester City after fresh injury blow
Sean Dyche may be left with no choice but to start rarely-seen Andre Gomes against Manchester City on Wednesday after a fresh Everton injury blow to Idrissa Gueye.
According to the Liverpool Echo (26 December), Abdoulaye Doucoure and Gueye are both expected to miss the Everton clash against Manchester City on Wednesday 27 December.
The newspaper shared the update after an earlier press conference was embargoed until lunchtime today ahead of the game where the Toffees will be aiming to return to winning ways after seeing their four-game winning streak come to an end after a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham (23 December).
The midfield duo have been substituted early in recent games against Burnley and Tottenham, with better news expected on their conditions soon at Goodison Park.
Sean Dyche admitted there was genuine concern over the condition of Gueye, but Doucoure could return to the grass at Finch Farm within a week.
Gueye and Doucoure have both been central to the up-turn in form under Dyche in recent weeks, with their roles in midfield certainly specialised but also their influence both in defence and attack respectively.
However, Dyche may already possess a player capable of performing both roles to a “brilliant” standard against the newly-crowned World champions in Portuguese maestro Gomes who produced a stunning display when he came on for Gueye against Spurs.
The 30-year-old is among the top earners at Goodison Park and his contract runs out at the end of the season, and it is unlikely to be renewed with Daily Mail reporting on 25 December that his days at the club are numbered as a result.
Right now, Dyche won’t care about that one bit and will certainly be pondering over a display from Gomes that had Everton fans purring once again.
The 29-year-old midfield, who has been on the sidelines for much of the campaign through injury, bagged a consolation for The Blues and could well have ended the match with two assists to boot.
As per SofaScore, Gomes recorded two key passes, completed 81 per cent of his passes, completed 100 per cent of his long balls and only lost possession eight times throughout his 66 minutes on the pitch.
A performance which left BBC and Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards stunned, dubbing him “brilliant” on Match of the Day (23 December) despite only returning from injury.
If there is one player that can unlock the City defence in Doucoure’s absence from midfield, it is Gomes who is certainly known for his ingenuity, precision and imaginative characteristics whether playing deep in midfield or in advanced areas.
Everton grew into the occasion and had the better openings and chances at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium once Gomes came onto the pitch, and Dyche must exploit those qualities on Wednesday if they’re to have any chance of grabbing a result against Pep Guardiola’s mighty Man City.
It’s a no-brainer.
In other Everton news, Mike Dean has weighed in on a controversial incident against Tottenham.