Tim Iroegbunam is Everton’s best chance of stopping Man City passing patterns
Tim Iroegbunam should be in Everton‘s team against Man City, as his underlying numbers show that he can disrupt the Cityzens’ passing play.
22-year-old Iroegbunam has endured a mixed 2025-26 season at Hill Dickinson Stadium, having found himself in and out of Everton’s side.
Indeed, he’s made 13 starts from his 25 Premier League appearances, with David Moyes evidently still working out whether he’s ready to be a full-time starter on Merseyside just yet.
He has proven to be a valuable piece of squad depth at the least, but for a player who will turn 23 before the start of next season, it’s getting towards the stage of his career where regular football is essential.
Everton host Man City on Monday night, and it’s against Pep Guardiola’s side that Iroegbunam would be ideally suited to play against.
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Why Tim Iroegbunam should start for Everton vs Man City
Iroegbunam has plenty still to prove at Everton, with his up and down performances making him a tough player to judge this season.
He’s certainly more of a defensive-minded central midfielder, and it’s in this department where he’s been able to offer the most to Everton’s campaign.
| Iroegbunam fact file | Answer |
| Full name | Timothy Emeka Iroegbunam |
| Date of birth | 30 June, 2003 |
| Place of birth | Great Barr, West Midlands |
| Height | 1.83m/6’0″ |
| Began youth football with | Sutton United |
But, his last start for Everton came on 14 March against Arsenal, and despite the Toffees losing that game 2-0, Iroegbunam played very well against a top in-possession team.
Man City are the Premier League’s other leading side in that area, with the Cityzens topping the table for average possession (60.2 per cent) and accurate passes per game (522.6) respectively – per FotMob.
This is precisely why Iroegbunam has to be included in Everton’s starting lineup on Monday night, as he’s proven himself to be one of Moyes’ best disruptive options to opposition teams this season.
His 4.2 tackles per 90 are by far and away the highest of any Toffees player in the top flight this term, with James Garner being his closest rival with 3.2.
He also ranks second among his Hill Dickinson comrades for defensive contributions per 90 with 11.7 and for interceptions per 90 with 1.5.
Iroegbunam is currently third for blocks per 90 with 0.6, as well as being fourth for recoveries per 90 at 5.1 and third for fouls committed per 90 with 1.7 respectively.
If Moyes wants to give his team the best chance of breaking up Man City’s patterns of passing play, then starting Iroegbunam in the engine room is a must.
Everton need to find out if Iroegbunam is Gueye’s successor
Everton could be about to say goodbye to evergreen defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye this summer, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
Now 36, Gueye perhaps showed his first signs of his age starting to catch up with him against West Ham last time out, and it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be handed, and indeed, want, to sign a new contract.
Regardless, he’s certainly not the long-term future in Everton’s central midfield, but Iroegbunam might be, but nobody really knows just yet.
Moyes could go a long way to finding out the answer to that by handing Iroegbunam the reins for the final four games of the season, using it as another test to see whether or not he’s ready for a larger role on Merseyside.
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