Everton have emerged from a gruelling run of December fixtures without tasting defeat, but the tough run hasn’t finished yet, with Nottingham Forest travelling to Goodison Park in the Premier League.
A series of draws have been played out against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, with Sean Dyche’s side restoring their defensive integrity and fostering their togetherness as they move further away from the drop zone.
Forest, however, have been the Premier League’s surprise package this term, brilliant in their own resilient style, holding fourth place after beating Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day.
It won’t be easy, but Goodison Park will boom as it bows out of 2024. A year of tests and troubles and, at times, turmoil. But perhaps, as the new year beckons, a year that has planted fresh roots of promise.
Everton team news
Iliman Ndiaye and Seamus Coleman were both substituted against Manchester City due to fitness scares, but these were precautionary moves and Dyche is hopeful that the wide players will be ready to take on Forest.
James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam remain sidelined, but there is a chance that Dwight McNeil could return to the team after missing the past three fixtures due to injury.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be dropped for Armando Broja, with the 27-year-old striker enduring a torrid run of form that has seen him go 13 Premier League matches without a goal.
|
Calvert-Lewin: Everton Stats by Season (PL) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Apps (starts) |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2024/25 |
17 (16) |
2 |
1 |
|
2023/24 |
32 (26) |
7 |
2 |
|
2022/23 |
17 (15) |
2 |
1 |
|
2021/22 |
17 (15) |
5 |
2 |
|
2020/21 |
33 (32) |
16 |
1 |
|
2019/20 |
36 (30) |
13 |
1 |
|
2018/19 |
35 (19) |
6 |
2 |
|
2017/18 |
32 (18) |
4 |
5 |
|
2016/17 |
11 (5) |
1 |
0 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
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Elsewhere, Dyche might consider boldly dropping Jack Harrison as he continues to struggle for top form.
Why Dyche should drop Jack Harrison
Harrison’s two-year loan concludes at the end of the season, and after piecing together zero goals and zero assists from 16 Premier League outings this term, he’s hardly declaiming his irreplaceable value to The Friedkin Group.
The problem of course is that Everton aren’t exactly overloaded with options on the right flank, but if McNeil does manage to reclaim his fitness levels, it’s time for the 28-year-old to shrink into the sidelines.
McNeil has been a potent force at number ten this season but lacks the combativeness and link-up play to truly flourish, especially against a side like Forest, who employ a regimented and tough-to-play-against style.
They will be physical, rough, and will look to exploit any chinks in Everton’s midfield, which is why Abdoulaye Doucoure must shuffle forward and make room for Orel Mangala to partner the evergreen Idrissa Gueye in the middle of the field.
McNeil’s playmaking skills still demand his presence, fitness providing, but that would mean that Ndiaye would need to shift out to the right flank, thus knocking Harrison to the bench.
This wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, for Harrison – whom writer Ell Bretland dubbed “abysmal” – scarcely scores and lost a whopping ten duels against City on Boxing Day. Pep Guardiola’s devastated team have lost their slickness and authority, but Forest will bring the punch to the contest this afternoon.
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Ndiaye can more than compensate for Harrison’s potential absence, with the Senegal star averaging 5.9 successful duels per top-flight game this term, as per Sofascore.
While Dyche will be hesitant to make too many alterations to a team that has hit a successful formula in recent weeks, players such as Harrison and Calvert-Lewin have struggled to match the level of some of their defensive peers, and this could be fatal against Forest.
Let’s hope that McNeil is fit and that Everton carry the synergy crafted in recent weeks over to this crucial fixture. The latest crucial fixture. The next in a long and unending line.
Let’s hope. Because Everton have given hope back to the people in recent weeks, and with a bit of fine-tuning, Harrison moving to the bench, that hope could flower into something even better.
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