David Moyes has obvious Jack Grealish issue to solve with Everton teammate
Jack Grealish has hit a buffer at Everton recently.
Grealish scored the winner for Everton against Bournemouth, but he has failed to notch a goal contribution in the following three matches.
David Moyes needs Grealish to be on top form if he is to help drive the Blues up the Premier League table, but it is not happening lately.
There may be a reason for that, as one of his teammates has a clear flaw that is not helping the 30-year-old.
Vitalii Mykolenko is proving to be a problem for Grealish at Everton
Vitalii Mykolenko’s Everton future is up in the air, with his contract set to run out in the summer, and the Blues may decide to upgrade at left-back.
The Ukrainian is a dependable figure in the backline, but his attacking contributions paint a worrying picture, especially for Grealish.
The 26-year-old is proving to be a hindrance, rather than helping the Manchester City loanee to thrive on Merseyside.
Per Opta, Grealish only passed to Mykolenko four times in the 1-0 loss to Arsenal, one time in the 2-0 loss to Chelsea and twice in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, which suggests that the full-back is not overlapping enough.
Therefore, Grealish is operating in less space, as Mykolenko is not taking defenders away from his teammate.
How can Moyes solve Mykolenko/Grealish issue?
The simple option would be to buy a new left-back in the winter transfer window, one that is not afraid to take a risk in the attacking third and create space for the winger.
Mykolenko has not shown that he is capable of doing that for Grealish, so Moyes may decide that he wants to upgrade.
Another possible solution is working on their connection on the training ground, and improving the relationship between the pair.
However, considering they have had since the start of the season to build that, and have not managed it yet, the former may be the better solution.
A more attacking-minded defender would help Grealish out, and could make the Toffees a lot more potent when they get forward.