Sean Dyche picked up his first points on the road since taking over Everton on Sunday, sharing the spoils in a 2-2 spirited draw against Nottingham Forest.
Despite earning a valuable point, many Blues supporters viewed the game as a missed opportunity with a great performance in spells and the team lacking ruthlessness in the final third to kill the game at 2-1 up.
The draw leaves Everton's Premier League status hanging in the balance, with Southampton picking up all three points against a lacklustre Leicester City in the late kick-off on Saturday courtesy of a Carlos Alcaraz strike. As it stands Bournemouth prop up the table on 21 points, trailing Southampton by goal difference.
READ MORE: Moise Kean leaves Everton as Juventus make early decision on permanent transfer
READ MORE: 'Much-needed facility in the heart of a community' - Andy Burnham opens Everton's mental health hub
Then come Everton just one point above the south coast pair in 18th, with just one win in their last five.
Next up for the Toffees are Brentford under the stewardship of Danish head coach Thomas Frank. The London side sit comfortably in ninth, and are currently second in the form table having picked up 22 points in their last 10 league games, with Liverpool and Manchester City among their big scalps this season.
The Bees are undoubtedly looking upwards toward the European places which would be some achievement for a team only in their second top flight term.
The presence of striker Ivan Toney will no doubt be of interest to both Dyche and Everton’s defenders. Dyche decided to change the line-up against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, opting for Ben Godfrey's pace and power at left-back replacing Vitalii Mykolenko who was reported ill last weekend.
Godfrey looked solid against Steve Cooper's side but has a tendency to give away fouls and pick up needless bookings as we saw after a foul on Brennan Johnson.
Whether the Ukrainian left-back returns to the 11 is yet to be seen, but this is not the only defensive dilemma that the Everton boss faces. Does he bring Conor Coady back in for such an important game? The Everton fan base are seemingly split on the England international after an encouraging start to his blues career, with his performances having begun to deteriorate over the last few fixtures.
Coady, who is a strong presence in the dressing room for both club and country, was taken out of the firing line in the last two fixtures but will no doubt be ready to play if called upon on Saturday.
Another option at Dyche’s disposal is Colombian international Yerry Mina, who has struggled with injuries this term, but is widely regarded as Everton’s best centre-back when 100% fit.
Additionally, Michael Keane has partnered James Tarkowski during the last two games having previously played together at Dyche’s Burnley before Keane’s move to Merseyside in the summer of 2017.
Keane recently returned to the side after being frozen out by former boss Frank Lampard. Another card the manager could play is Mason Holgate, who had a brief role coming off the bench in the Blues' defeat at Arsenal .
Although unclear about what partnership he prefers, it is fairly obvious Dyche favours Tarkowski over anyone else at the centre of defence, a tried and trusted defender from Dyche’s time at Burnley.
Although consistent, one criticism of the former Brentford man is his lack of pace, something that could be a worry against the Londoners' potential attacking trio of Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. Therefore, picking the speed of Godfrey may be of benefit, leaving the left-back position for Mykolenko to slot straight back in.
A plethora of options in defence is a different issue to Everton’s options in the final third, with Demarai Gray bagging a penalty last weekend after coming in for Neal Maupay, who had previously failed to strike under Dyche. The fitness of star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is still unclear with Everton assessing the player’s potential return.
Does Dyche start Gray after such a spirited performance? Does he give Ellis Simms another chance after his Anfield start? Does Maupay warrant another go?
To summarise, whatever the 11, this game is a must win in Everton’s run-in towards the end of the season - they cannot afford to drop points in home games against mid-table sides if they have any hopes of staying in the top flight.
READ NEXT:
- Everton can complete free transfer of Ligue 1 star after 'great regret' shared
- Graeme Souness was wrong to question Demarai Gray after Everton penalty comments
- Demarai Gray has given Sean Dyche the perfect answer after private Everton chats
- Referees not helping Everton but there is something else I absolutely hated against Nottingham Forest
- Sean Dyche already knows the biggest problem he needs to solve for Everton to avoid relegation
