Moyes ‘makes Michael Keane blunder’ as Everton confirmed XI v Fulham
David Moyes has made four changes to his Everton line-up as they face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Everton will be looking to return to winning ways when they lock horns with Marco Silva’s side on 10 May, having failed to win each of their last three games.
The Toffees have nothing to play for, apart from the motivation of finishing as high up the table as possible in the Premier League.
Therefore, Moyes has made a few tweaks to his regular starting line-up, as he prepares for next season already.
Meanwhile, Fulham are also in a similar position, as a European qualification appears to be out of their reach with only three matches left.
Moyes makes Michael Keane mistake
Moyes has made two changes in defence, with Ashley Young and Michael Keane coming in for Nathan Patterson and Jake O’Brien.
Meanwhile, Abdoulaye Doucoure has returned to the starting line-up after missing the game against Ipswich due to personal reasons.
This means Iliman Ndiaye has dropped to the bench, with Dwight McNeil also being axed by the Goodison Park outfit.
With McNeil named on the bench, Harrison has taken his place in Everton’s attack.
It is worth noting that Young, Keane, Doucoure and Harrison face uncertain futures with the Merseyside-based club ahead of the summer.
Young, Keane and Doucoure have their contracts expiring at the end of the season, while Harrison is due to return to Leeds when his loan deal runs out.
Therefore, it appears Moyes is happy to let those players have a farewell run before leaving the Toffees.
However, it might not be wise of the Scottish tactician to do that, especially as he could be using this opportunity to prepare for next season.
He would have been better off starting O’Brien alongside Jarrad Branthwaite, so that they could get comfortable playing together as a centre-back pairing.
This is why Moyes could soon regret starting Keane against Fulham.
Everton XI v Fulham
Jordan Pickford remains in goal, with Young, Keane, Branthwaite and Vitalii Mykolenko forming the back four.
Meanwhile, Idrissa Gueye and James Garner play in a double pivot in midfield, providing ample protection to the backline.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal Difference | Points | Form |
| 11. Fulham | 35 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 51 | WLLWL |
| 14. Everton | 35 | 8 | 15 | 12 | -7 | 39 | DWLLD |
Doucoure starts in an advanced midfield role, with Harrison and Carlos Alcaraz providing the width.
Lastly, Beto leads the line for Moyes’ side, despite being linked with a surprise move to Leeds United this week.