Iliman Ndiaye sends message to Everton players as Jarrad Branthwaite reaches landmark

Everton need more like Ndiaye

In what has been a pretty uninspiring final season at Goodison Park so far, Iliman Ndiaye remains the biggest bright spark for Everton and if they were to break the deadlock against Brentford then the Senegal international looked like he was going to play some part in it. It’s been a long time since Blues supporters had a player with the ability to make the gasp in the manner that Ndiaye is capable.

Paul Gascoigne was regularly treating English top flight crowds to such displays in the season after his heroics for England at Italia ‘90 but by the time he arrived at Goodison a decade later, the sands of time, and some horrific injuries, had severely dulled his powers to the point where he only really rolled back the years against fourth tier Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. However, Ndiaye is regularly looking the part against Premier League defences.

Close control in tight areas and dribbling both ways against opponents, Ndiaye must be a nightmare to play against. Long before Sean Dyche became Everton manager, one of his predecessors Gordon Lee once remarked that a team of 11 Mick Lyons would beat a team of 11 Duncan McKenzies but Ndiaye is far from being merely one of the “Flash Harrys” or “Coffee house ball-jugglers” that the 1970s disciplinarian decried.

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He always puts in a shift whether in or out of possession and there is often an end product to his play too, whether it’s a shot or a cross. In real life, no effective team can get by with 11 players of the same skill set, but the Blues could certainly do with a few more like Ndiaye right now.

Half century for ‘The Carlisle Kaiser’

It will be far from being his most-satisfying shut-out but Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, ‘The Carlisle Kaiser’ marked the landmark of reaching 50 Premier League appearances with another clean sheet. Over this ‘reign’ the centre-back has enjoyed a meteoric rise from being a big baby, plucked as a 17-year-old after just nine League Two matches, to the most valuable player in the Blues squad and a potentially generational defensive talent.

Jordan Pickford, England’s number one who plays behind Branthwaite has described him as a “Rolls-Royce.” However, while this luxury item was deservedly gaining plenty of admiring glances last season as he racked up 35 Premier League outings and 41 in all competitions, the frustration this term is that he’s been stuck in the garage too often and even when the engine has been running, his driver has been exercising caution about giving him a run-out.

The 22-year-old was still going through the gears here as he eased his way back in after stalling again during the international break when he had to pull out of the England squad after suffering a reaction against West Ham United. Branthwaite oozes class though, and while Brentford’s record signing Igor Thiago, making a belated debut after suffering injury in pre-season after joining for over £30million from Club Brugge was able to shrug off Idrissa Gueye with ease in one challenge, the big Brazilian found the 6ft 5in centre-back to be an immoveable object.

Frank admission

Back when these sides last met in the corresponding fixture in April, Brentford manager Thomas Frank bemoaning what he called “a boring game,” but after his side were reduced to 10 men on this occasion, the Dane was more than happy to ‘park the bus,’ and hold out for a first away point of the season. Sean Dyche and Frank are ‘football friends’ but the Blues boss had got the better of his west London counterpart in each of their previous two Goodison Park encounters with Dwight McNeil’s goal after just 35 seconds proving the difference first time out and then Idrissa Gueye’s strike on the hour mark securing the three points that secured Everton’s Premier League status earlier this year.

That encounter was something of an ‘after the lord mayor’s show’ for the Blues, coming less than 72 hours after they had beaten Liverpool 2-0 to enjoy their first home win in a Merseyside Derby for 13-and-a-half years, but the result was crucial as Dyche’s men picked up a third victory in a week to avoid the drop. Back then, Frank said: It was a very even game. It was two teams cancelling each other out more or less throughout the game – it was quite boring actually I think,” adding: “It’s irritating because it’s a 0-0 game and let’s get a draw to keep this unbeaten run.”

Unfortunately, this latest encounter really was a 0-0 game. There had not been a share of the spoils in these two sides’ previous 11 league meetings at Goodison Park, or a goalless one full stop but while that will suit Frank fine as he finally cured his team’s travel sickness, Evertonians are struggling to feel any home comforts.