Restored and anew, Everton meet Brentford at the Gtech this evening with fresh energy, looking to bounce back from drawing against Manchester United at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Everton trudged off the pitch with a sense of injustice. A contentious VAR intervention ruled out a last-gasp penalty after Harry Maguire was cleared of sending Ashley Young to the turf. Matthijs de Ligt also appeared to pull his shirt.
But alas, Goodison Park was consigned to a second successive 2-2 draw, one week after James Tarkowski thundered
David Moyes’ side back to parity with effectively the last kick of the game. How the deliverance of the points shared determines the mood.
Still, the Toffees are now six games unbeaten in the Premier League, a far cry from the relegation-threatened, inspiration-lacking and unconfident outfit under Sean Dyche’s wing.
Brentford are an excellent team on their home patch, but this is a new version of Everton, there’s something different with Moyes back, and achieving victory is a very real possibility.
It won’t be easy though, not least as the Blues travel to the capital with a whole host of stars left in the infirmary.
Everton’s latest injury blow
Everton’s medical room might need an emergency expansion, for Moyes has been dealt a spate of injuries since being helmed in.
Right-backs Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson are still out, while the on-loan Orel Mangala may not return this season. Dwight McNeil started the season in fine fettle but his recovery from a knee injury has been a slow and protracted thing, and he’s not going to be back any time soon.
The startling number of absentees across the frontline might have felt like a millstone around the Everton manager’s neck, but Moyes has shown he’s made of sterner stuff, enduring and indeed crafting a six-match unbeaten run, with four wins in the process.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti are all out of action, while Iliman Ndiaye faces weeks further on the side after suffering medial ligament damage against Liverpool.
To add insult to injury, right winger Jesper Lindstrom was withdrawn before the hour mark against Man United, with Moyes revealing he was struggling with illness.
If the Dane fails to recover in time, Moyes will have a problem on his hands – but he could find a solution by unleashing one versatile midfielder in a fresh role.
Moyes could unleash his star in fresh role
Bereft of options, but not ideas. Moyes arrived last month with a tactical plan that doesn’t differ greatly from Dyche’s pragmatic approach. Both are rooted in their workmanlike philosophies, hardly opposite ends of the scale.