Ashley Young must be hooked after first-half stinker for Everton v Tottenham
Sean Dyche is going to have to hook Ashley Young at half-time if Everton have any chance of clawing their way back into their clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Toffees headed into the break 2-1 down at Goodison Park on Saturday (3 February) with a brace from Richarlison ensuring that Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s first strike in months was little more than a consolation.
But Everton were made to ride their luck slightly in the first half and despite getting into a number of excellent positions, Dyche’s Toffees were unable to carve out many goal-scoring opportunities in the clash.
A majority of Everton’s attacks came down the right flank, with Young and Harrison drifting out to the right flank to aim crosses into the penalty area for Calvert-Lewin to head home. However, Young in particular struggled to consistently find his number nine in the area.
The 38-year-old completed 86 per cent of his 14 attempted passes, as he managed to find teammates from close range repeatedly. But it was a different story when he was crossing into the area, with Young only completing two of his nine attempted crosses.
Out of possession, the veteran won a majority of his duels, including a 100 per cent win rate on the ground. However, had McNeil had the number of opportunities to get the ball into the area that Young did, you would imagine Everton would have scored more than once.
Dyche can’t keep starting Young at Everton
The Toffees aren’t blessed with attacking depth, but Dyche does have a lot of young and raw attacking talent on his bench that he can turn to when required.
Beto has looked bright in short spells this season, while Lewis Dobbin has also provided some life from the bench in a number of brief cameos. Throwing an extra body up top and pushing Harrison wider could help the Blues carry a greater goal threat.
Young may be the safe option, but if Everton want to dodge the drop and claim all three points on Saturday, Dyche may just have to be a little bit braver.
In other Everton news, one business journalist has said it will be “impossible” for the Toffees to plan for the summer transfer window
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