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Everton have already begun their ascent out of the relegation zone in the Premier League with a massive victory away against Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon which was boosted by Luton Town’s defeat at home to Arsenal on Tuesday night.
Despite receiving a ten-point deduction during the November international period, the Toffees are now merely two points from safety and a win tonight against a high-flying Newcastle United would take Sean Dyche‘s men outside of the bottom three.
Not many changes are expected from the starting eleven that put Forest to the sword at the weekend, but one surprise candidate could be given the nod by the manager.
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Jack Harrison’s performance in numbers vs Forest
Jack Harrison‘s ball at the far post to Dwight McNeil was the pass that earned Everton all three points at the City Ground on Saturday after the latter emphatically finished his opportunity. However, the Leeds United loanee struggled to make much of an impact before and after the goal, despite staying on the pitch for the game’s entirety.
Throughout the match, Harrison boasted a passing accuracy of just 54% while having 51 touches of the ball. Furthermore, the winger failed to complete a single take-on, cross or tackle. The assist in the second half, which put Harrison top of Everton’s creative leaderboard, made up for what was quite a dire display.
The Liverpool Echo handed the ex-Manchester City man a 6/10 match rating, claiming he “laboured for long periods” of the game. Additionally, Sofascore ranked the 27-year-old as the worst performer on the pitch with a 6.2 rating out of 10, having lost possession of the ball 25 times.
If there is one player that could find themselves out of the starting lineup for tonight’s visit from the Magpies, it’s Harrison. Dyche could potentially do so for tactical reasons too.
Ashley Young’s stats this season
Seamus Coleman has been on the bench for Everton’s last two games but was an unused substitute on both occasions. The club captain will be champing at the bit to get back out on the grass, having not featured for the club since last May, after sustaining a nasty knee injury in a 2-2 draw with Leicester City.
The return of the man that ex-boss Frank Lampard once called a “warrior” could trigger a genius tactical switch from Dyche by bringing the £73k-per-week star back into the fray instead of Harrison.
Ashley Young has been Everton’s primary right-back this season and has started every single game for the club since a 1-0 win over West Ham United at the end of October, a fixture he missed due to being sent off in the Merseyside Derby a week prior.
Nevertheless, the former Premier League winner has played all over the park during his illustrious career, including on the left wing, the right wing, up top, as a wingback and as a fullback. The veteran has played 42 times as a right-winger across almost 700 professional appearances and could do an excellent job for Everton in that position this evening.
Newcastle United will likely have Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon linking up on the left flank, meaning Dyche will need to ensure he has two very capable players on that side who can handle the duo defensively. With the £40k-per-week Young starting on the right of the midfield over Harrison, partnering with Coleman behind him, the manager will have just that as the 38-year-old boasts much better defensive stats this term than Harrison.
Per 90 Metrics |
Ashley Young |
Jack Harrison |
---|---|---|
Tackles |
1.5 |
1.59 |
Tackles Won |
1 |
0.43 |
Interceptions |
0.92 |
0.43 |
Clearances |
2.08 |
1.16 |
Blocks |
0.92 |
0.87 |
Dribblers Tackled |
0.92 |
0.58 |
Stats via FBref |
Harrison’s lowly tackling numbers look quite worrying when faced with the prospect of defending against Gordon, who has attempted 4.07 take-ons per 90 this term, and Livramento, who has attempted 2.29 take-ons per 90 with a 62.5% success rate, as per FBref.
It could be wise for Dyche to utilise two defensive players on that side by bringing Coleman back into the starting lineup, pushing Young into a more advanced position in the process.
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