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da pinup bet： Everton have certainly come a long way in a short space of time since the end of last season, but it will be a huge test of their progress under Marco Silva when Tottenham visit Goodison Park on Sunday.
The Lilywhites have been in fine form in recent weeks and will be on a high after their North London derby win in the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. History would also give them a strong advantage over the Toffees, as in the Premier League era they have won 25 of the 52 league meetings between the two teams, with Everton only winning eight times.
Everton though will be hoping to use the extra rest they have been afforded to their advantage, having not played since their 3-1 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad last weekend. With Silva at the helm and some strong summer business though Everton are now a completely different prospect.
Ahead of the 4:00pm kickoff on Sunday, we’ve asked two experts for their opinions on the clash. In the blue corner is chief editor of Read Everton and Toffees fan Elliott Cuff, whilst Tottenham fan and TT writer Josh Raisey will be supporting Mauricio Pochettino’s cause…
After their North London derby win during mid-week and the huge result against Barcelona, are we starting to see the best of this Tottenham team?
Josh: “I think so. The majority of the team looked slow and sluggish at the beginning of the season, which could have been down to the intense summer. But they now look re-energised, and Pochettino must be praised for that and the way he has rotated his squad. With the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele to return, they will only get stronger.”
Elliott: “I think we are (seeing the best of Spurs). Tottenham certainly have so much quality, and now they are building up that momentum that will carry them through the busy festive period. Tottenham are blessed with one of the best managers in world football, and with the confidence they must have currently, they’re a threat to any side.
“Everton will have a tough task on their hands, and are probably playing the London side at the worst time.”
Everton look transformed under Marco Silva, what has impressed you most about them so far this season?
Elliott: “Attitude, without question. Whether Everton have had the strongest team or not, the club’s defining trait in recent years has been their inability to step up to the plate in the more difficult games. Too often Everton have cowed under pressure, and happily rolled over against tough opponents. We saw this last year under Sam Allardyce, where he’d go into a tough game aiming only for a draw.
“Under Silva, we’ve seen Everton fight tooth and nail for every point on offer, and they’ve believed they can win in every game. They’ve no longer accepted being second best, and if anything, the only thing you can judge a team on is its willingness and drive to be better and to do the fans proud, and thankfully that’s what Silva has brought out of this team.”
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Everton tried to play out from the back against Manchester City and were caught out, do you expect them to play the same way against Spurs and could this play into the visitors’ hands?
Elliott: “I would still expect Everton to play out from the back, but a formational change is what I’m anticipating. Silva likes to build from back to front, and that has often worked in Everton’s advantage, however against City the set-up proved to be ineffective. Everton looked to flood the midfield while using three centre-halves to create a sort of defensive wall, but as many teams have found out this season, it’s difficult to neutralise City’s threat.
“Added to that how Everton’s defensive three struggled positionally in a formation they hadn’t played before, I think Silva will bring it back to the drawing board positionally, but will still look to keep his style consistent.”
Do Spurs have any obvious weaknesses that Everton can exploit?
Josh: “In the first North London Derby of the season, Arsenal highlighted that Eric Dier and Moussa Sissoko were not that composed on the ball and exposed them a bit. With Dier out, Winks is likely to start, and is much more comfortable with the ball at his feet, and may alleviate that problem.
“Also, in the absence of Juan Foyth, Sanchez and Vertonghen in recent matches, Ben Davies has been deployed as a centre-back. Without Dier in midfield, Tottenham are left looking pretty weak when it comes to defending set-pieces, particularly if Everton opt to field Kurt Zouma, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane again.”
Where might Tottenham get their joy against this Everton side?
Elliott: “Definitely in Everton’s final third. If Everton decide to absorb Tottenham’s possession football and sit back instead of coming flying out of the starting blocks, then Spurs should have some joy dealing with Everton’s back-line. Keane, Zouma and Mina have all been pretty solid this season, but after a run of disappointing results Everton have found themselves in a slight slump, and Harry Kane possesses enough quality to bully Everton’s defenders.
Seamus Coleman has also struggled considerably in recent weeks, so Heung-min Son could well do some damage on the left flank for Tottenham.”
So, where will this game be lost and won?
Elliott: “It all comes down to the midfield for me. Everton have a pretty strong midfield trio in Idrissa Gueye, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Gomes, but Tottenham also have strong options in those positions. Whoever can control that area will likely dictate the tempo of the game, and that will prove to be essential in dictating how the game will likely turn out.
“Tottenham will be favourites to do so, given the quality they possess in that area, but Everton are strong too, particularly with Gomes who is in the form of his career right now. It’ll be interesting to see which way the paradigm will shift, and whether Everton will be able to steal the spotlight from Spurs who will be expecting to dominate the lion-share of possession.”
And finally, what are your score predictions?
Josh: “3-1 to Tottenham.”
Elliott: “Everton don’t have a good record against Tottenham, and I don’t look forward to such games. Although I hate to sound negative, I’d lean towards a Tottenham win, 2-0. Fingers crossed I’m wrong!”