Everton line-ups for Fulham as big Jarrad Branthwaite and Michael Keane decision made
Everton will look to make it back-to-back victories and five Premier League games unbeaten this evening when they welcome Fulham to Goodison Park (5.30pm). But to do that they will have to end a curious hex.
For so long a visit of the Cottagers to L4 was the closest thing Everton could get to a home banker. Fulham lost 22 consecutive league games at Goodison before they finally ended that run with a 2-0 triumph in February 2021.
But now they cannot stop winning at the home of the Blues with their painful penalty shootout success in December - look away now Amadou Onana - being their fourth consecutive victory at the ground.
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However, after a run of four matches without defeat, which culminated in a comfortable and impressive 2-0 triumph at Ipswich Town last weekend, means that Sean Dyche's side will be confident of ending that Cottagers sequence.
But how will Everton manager Dyche line-up? Our writers have their say here...
Joe Thomas
I would bring Jarrad Branthwaite into the starting line-up if, as seems to be the case, it is only match fitness that he is now missing.
I have fought Michael Keane’s corner this season and have been pleased to see him produce the important performances of recent weeks. I hope they have rebuilt some faith in him from some of his critics and they have been a reminder that, as he showed at times last season, this is a player who can still hold value for Everton.
Keane and Ashley Young are two unsung heroes whose professionalism behind the scenes has never come into question and it was lovely to see them lead the celebrations at Ipswich Town last week. But Branthwaite is such a big talent that pragmatism is required and hopefully he can now build his way into the campaign.
While Keane could count himself unfortunate to fall to my bench, Young would remain in the starting line-up. He too has been very good recently and I think, particularly with the injury issues of Nathan Patterson and Seamus Coleman, maintaining consistency in that area is worthwhile and I think the upside to replacing him with a player who has not featured in weeks in Coleman’s case, or six months in Patterson’s, would not be big enough to take an unnecessary risk.
Elsewhere, while Everton lacked control at times last week, the performance at Portman Road was generally pretty strong and so I would keep it the same, with the exception of moving Dwight McNeil to the left and allowing Iliman Ndiaye to operate from the middle. I still feel that would be the most effective approach, though it is fair to say Sean Dyche is adamant his belief - against that of some of those around him - that Ndiaye can be used as a winger has been vindicated.
My team (4-4-1-1): Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Doucoure, McNeil; Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin.
Chris Beesley
Jarrad Branthwaite was Everton's breakthrough star of last season and is potentially a generational talent. He could go on to win over 100 England caps and the Blues were quite right to dismiss out of hand a couple of derogatory offers for his services from Manchester United over the summer.
Penny-pinching Jim Ratcliffe, the man whose trying to get someone else, rather than one of the richest football clubs in the world, pay to rebuild Old Trafford, may not realise the true value of 'The Carlisle Kaiser' but Evertonians do.
If Branthwaite is ever sold, it must be for more than the club record £75million paid by the Red Devils for Romelu Lukaku over seven years ago.
Branthwaite also made a triumphant return in his first appearance this term as he helped Everton to a first ever comeback win in the Premier League under Sean Dyche as they came from 1-0 down at half-time to Crystal Palace to record a 2-1 victory.
However, despite all of this, the Blues have subsequently kept a couple of clean sheets during Branthwaite's injury absenc eand last time out against Ipswich Town, Michael Keane, who sealed a 2-0 victory at Portman Road, the team's first away win in 10 months, with a sensational left-foot strike, was a colossus at both ends of the pitch.
His partner in the heart of defence, James Tarkowski hasn't missed a Premier League game since he signed for the club so he won't want to miss out either against Fulham. In his pre-match press conference for the visit of Marco Silva's Cottagers, Dyche said: “We have four very good centre-backs, all fighting for the shirt. That will look after itself.”
That, for me, means on this occasion that even a stellar performer like Branthwaite must now wait his turn. It's same again after everyone contributed to the success in East Anglia, and hopefully this time Dominic Calvert-Lewin has brought his shooting boots.
My team (4-5-1): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, McNeil, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin.