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The price of success. This is what Everton is paying for as it begins its transition from surprise to consolidation as a team with serious aspirations in the Premier League. It’s what, in the end, a winning coach like Carlo Ancelotti cares about.
So the defeat against Southampton, far from being a tragedy, is a wake-up call: has the team become predictable? Have you run out of alternatives against rockier rivals who cut the circuits with more intensity? How to get out of that network?
Ancelotti has an important problem: his starters are very titular and his substitutes do not quite fulfill his expectations.
Now that he does not have Richarlison, for example, he does not seem to trust Iwobi (he is the one he replaced the most times) although his numbers are not bad: 3.1 tackles, 2.5 interceptions and 1.2 punts per 90 minutes, according to the statistics of the Liverpool Echo. It was not a shock against Southampton and that plays against him.
Nor does Bernard seem to be the man who guarantees the exit and the commitment in the brand that the Brazilian team man gives him, with whom he cannot count on suspension right now. And that the weekend had an inning, a punt, three interceptions and, with two key passes, equaled James’ numbers.
With the young Gordon, whom he appreciated that he asked him to account for why he did not play, he believes that he still lacks maturity, despite making two assists and two key passes against Southampton.
So, knowing that they do not have alternatives that guarantee the necessary replacement, you have one option: change the module. It is the ideal? We will see.
Kick the board?
The scheme that works is 4-4-3. It is the one that has guaranteed the leadership, the one that the Italian has preferred in other clubs, the one that until now has been indisputable.
But there is a detail: the later 4 cannot be used this Sunday against Newcastle because Digne is suspended. The natural candidate is Niels Nkounkou, who has shown skill and an important vocation for attack. But what if the opponent (14th place in the table) gives the option of testing, how about a defense of three?
A player who has been tempted by Ancelotti has just arrived, Ben Godfrey, and he could occupy the central position alongside Michael Keane and Yerry Mina. A line later could appear Kenny or Coleman, who could be ready for the weekend after overcoming his injury.
And disarming a core area that has given such good results? Yes and no. Because James could move a little more to the center (he has started on the right so far) just behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the usual brand trio of Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes for the task of recovery and support for the playmaker .
It would be, in theory, a 3-5-2 to take advantage of the exit through the wings and give another perspective to the Colombian, the key man in the generation of the game so far. This is not bad news at all. But it must also be said that James worked that well, behind the area man, when at Real Madrid he had more frontal attack alternatives such as Bale and Benzema. Just a reference may not be enough, even if the moment is ideal.
In short, it would be a test against a rival that could, in theory, be accessible. But beware that Southampton was also one and it turned out to be a very tough rival, which makes the Premier a tournament like no other: anyone beats anyone.
The deck is in the hands of Ancelotti. Risking to find alternatives or changing only the tabs so as not to undo the style are your options. The happy news is that, even ‘kicking’ the board, Everton’s Colombians, Mina and James, are not up for discussion.
