A Case for The Defence

The big kick-off is only weeks away and excitement is slowly starting to build amongst Evertonians at the prospects for the coming season.

If the Everton squad as it stands today are still together by the time the first whistle blows at Ewood Park on 14 August, the Blues' ambitions for the coming campaign can know no bounds.

With a wealth of talent in midfield and (after a recruitment drive this summer) in attack, the Toffees have a lot of different options to choose from. Options and choices which they haven't had in years previous thanks largely to a horrendous injury record in the last 20-odd months. Only midfield enforcer Marouane Fellaini won't be available when hostilities re-commence next month but even he will be closing in on recovery come that time.

The biggest difference, however, between this year and almost every year during David Moyes's tenure as manager will be the defence. The Scot has a fine reputation for building teams on a base of a rugged and well drilled back four but is that something that will be in place this season?

Every defender on the books has his own stake and claim to say he should be on the teamsheet come the big day. Faces old and new in the squad who can claim they have the right to protect the Everton goal from opposition fire.

It would be fair to say that, last season, Everton were their own worst enemy at times, shipping goals far too often against less than stellar opposition, soft goals too. Far too many wins turned to draws and hard work undone by silly mistakes. Missing out on Europe ? and the chance of finishing above our nearest and dearest ? by 2 points was our eventual punishment for dropping those points whilst they were in our hands too many times across the course of the campagin. Not to mention allowing a poor Sporting Lisbon side back into a what was a finished tie at Goodison Park, you can remember the rest yourselves.

Who, then, has genuine cause to believe they should be lining up when the Premier League starts for the 2010-11 calendar?

If you read into supporter on-line forums, the common thread of opinion amongst the faithful is they'd like to see a combination of Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, John Heitinga and Seamus Coleman guarding Tim Howard in the Everton goal. As ideal as that line-up would be, it is not a realistic or feasible one.

On the back of his performance in the home match against Tottenham in December, a successful loan spell at Blackpool from March as well as impressing in pre-season, there are calls for the Seamus Coleman to see more first team action. The Irish youngster has seen his stock rise at Goodison in the past months with many seeing him as the long-term answer to the squad's problematic right-hand side. An attack-minded full-back fancied as a mirror image to Leighton Baines and a player with genuine promise... but can we really expect to see an Everton team under this manager which doesn't feature a fully fit Phil Neville?

In fairness to the club captain, as limited as he seemed at right back at points last year, his effect on the team was apparent while he was out injured for a prolonged spell. He is a real leader in the team and one of Moyes's most trusted lieutenants on the pitch. It's safe to assume that though Coleman will play a part throughout the term, Neville will start as the first choice in that position.

Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines are the only two who demand selection, both on merit and on the basis that there really are no better options within the ranks than the pair England internationals.

John Heitinga is the most interesting of the selection headaches. After a roller-coaster year which saw him become a fan favourite at Goodison Park and eventually ended with him being dismissed in the World Cup Final, he is not as nailed-on to start as those outside the club would assume. Despite arguably being the best 'footballing defender' of the bunch, he doesn't always command a regular starting birth in his favoured position of centre back.

It is no secret that David Moyes likes a left foot-right foot partnership at the heart of his defence and add to that the distinct physical differences between Sylvain Distin and the Dutchman, it's a short bet to say that the big Frenchman is likely to also make the team sheet against Blackburn. That is not to say, however, that Heitinga will not be involved; the absence of Fellaini will undoubtedly result in him continuing in the midfield enforcer role in which he thrived in the latter part of last season.

Let a word also be said for the forgotten man, Tony Hibbert. Hibbert is now finally at the level within the squad where he belongs, a seasoned veteran of the club who finished the last campaign in good form. A hard working player who can plug any gaps across the back line and will always put in a shift when called upon.

By that logic, the defence that will start the new term will be the one that finished the previous one; whilst that isn't adventurous, is it at least wise? Longevity is a commodity not to be under-rated in football and in order to dispel the club's habit of starting a season badly, perhaps the settled defence is the best option?

All-in-all, it's predicted that the coming months will see something of a rarity at David Moyes's Everton: an unsettled back four. The defence can be made up of many different options each with their own individual qualities and the right formula will have to be discovered during battle.

The usual suspects will start come the first hurdle of the big race, but just who will cement themselves is yet to be seen. If nothing else is certain, be certain that Everton have more options than they know what to do with.

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