David Moyes' hand may have been forced on Tim Iroegbunam, change needed for Everton
David Moyes may be left with little choice but to take action after Tim Iroegbunam's poor first-half showing for Everton against Sunderland.
Everton went into the interval of Sunday's contest at Hill Dickinson Stadium 1-0 up thanks to Merlin Rohl's deflected strike just before the interval.
Neither side truly got going, but Everton particularly struggled despite the home fans creating a brilliant atmopshere.
A number of players were particularly poor in the first 45 minutes for Everton, with Iroegbunam unfortunately the worst of the lot.
Everton really need to beat Sunderland to stay in European contention, meaning Moyes may have a big call to make at the interval if his side are to build on what they have.
Tim Iroegbunam not the answer for Everton
Iroegbunam showed exactly what he is capable of with his display in Everton's 3-3 draw with Manchester City recently.
However, Iroegbunam then struggled against Crystal Palace and his starting spot against Sunderland was therefore in question.
| Everton | Sunderland | |
| 1 | Goals | 0 |
| 0.38 | Expected goals | 0.16 |
| 5/3 | Shots/on target | 4/0 |
| 38.6% | Possession | 61.4% |
Moyes opted to go with the central midfielder alongside James Garner, but he was Everton's worst performer in the first half.
While subbing him on the basis of underperforming for one half may seem harsh, the 22-year-old was also fortunate to avoid stronger punishment for a bad challenge on Reinildo.
He did get a yellow card for that, however, and is therefore now walking a tightrope for the rest of the game.
Rohl's goal helped lift Everton, but there is still plenty of work to do and Moyes has some options on the substitutes' bench.
Tyler Dibling, who Everton fans can be forgiven for forgetting even exists, is among those eager to make an impression.
Charly Alcaraz is another who could be introduced if Moyes is willing to tweak things, with Iroegbunam a passenger so far.
Iroegbunam's first half in numbers vs Sunderland
As per Sofascore, Iroegbunam's rating of 6.4 in the first half was the second lowest of any Everton player, just ahead of Iliman Ndiaye (6.5).
The former England age-grade international registered just 17 passes in the middle of the park, five of those in his own half.
He lost possession four times, meanwhile, and had a relatively low 25 touches, highlighting his inability to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
If Moyes does persist and Iroegbunam fails to improve, or worse yet gets sent off, Moyes will be partly to blame.