Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

I’d like to see DCL start though given they play three at the back as he’ll keep them occupied much more than Tosun.

Would also put Walcott back in to run behind said back 3, leave Bernard on the bench.

Pickford

Coleman Zouma Keane Kenny

Gomes Davies Sigurdsson

Richarlison DCL Walcott

Steak, Galloway (has to be on the bench given no other CB/LB), McCarthy, Gana, Bernard, Lookman, Tosun

Wolves are pretty strong all over the park but especially in the middle where Neves is a talent bound for the top and Moutinho has arguably been the signing of the season for just £5m.

Alot could depend on which Gomes turns up and how well his midfield partner (no idea whether that should be Gueye or Davies) plays.

Would really like to see some more end product from Bernard. I think he's a cracking player but there's no doubt if you play that far forward you need to be weighing in with more goals and assists. Felipe Anderson has 9 goals and 2 assists by contrast.

If anything gives Tosun the nod or at least Richarlison who scores more often than any of them.

Starting Calvert-Lewin the lad can’t offer anything yet, his impact is as a sub when teams are tiring.

This will be a really tough game without a doubt and a loss today we can basically wave goodbye to 7th.

As has happened so many time this season, you think a win wiĺl trigger a run of games, only to find the opposite happens.

Although Wolves have not exactly been a model of consistency themselves. So will it be 'Dances with Wolves' or 'The Untouchables'?

But you just never know with Everton.

Up the Blues.

Tosun’s similarly gutsy performance could be just what the Goodison crowd needs to get excited.

I’d, as Lyndon suggested, keep them in.

Wolves are on a run of excellent form, and I don’t feel massively confident (yet again).

Just really hope we can do it.
Tosun to score. Solid performances from Zouma, Keane and Pickford and a glorious victory for the Toffees!

Last game, Davies seemed to play ahead of Sigurdsson which is something I haven’t seen before. He started the game like a house on fire but I’m still not sure about him.

I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to Gomes being benched this week. He needs a rest.

Bernard, Lookman, happy with either - just keep Walcott off the pitch.

Really hope Baines is fit enough to start. Very unlucky for the lad if not.

Not going today, I chose to give my ticket away to one of my sons mate’s, but waking up to a cold and frosty morning, the first thing on my mind is football, or more importantly a game that might just be worth watching, so let’s hope everyone gets a very good game of footy today.

Games like this will give us a clue, its an extremely balanced game Everton are 6/4 to win, Wolves are 2/1 .the game earlier in the season was a draw. Maybe the better manager can make the difference today with team formation/sysytem/subs and tactics. It is going to be an interesting day and I think it is an important day for Marco if he wants to cement his position .

For the most part against Hudderfield it was more of the same from us, disjointed, loose with posession, unable to control the game and unable to create chances. The difference was that the opposition was as poor as it gets in the league. Wolves are better, we will need a better performance.

Some positives were the strength and committed play of Zouma, sign him up !
Tom Davies and his best game for us for ages, was a livewire and adds energy to our largely pedestrian midfield . His energy and desire gives us something we are missing, I am desperate to see Tom build on that performance. We need that type of player. He needs to produce that week in week out .

Finally Cenk, like Tom he was up for the game and the challenge on Tuesday . He had fire in his eyes and worked his socks off . If he finds consistency , his luck will turn and he will get goals. I hope Marco recognises that and picks him today .

Pickford

JJk Zouma Keane Baines

Bernard Gomes, Davies, Sigurdsson, Richarlison,

Tosun

"a loss today we can basically wave goodbye to 7th."

Why?! If we lost today they would be 5 points ahead of us with 13 games to play. Hardly uncatchable! I'm not saying that I think we'll get 7th necessarily but no result today would render it impossible. All of these midtable teams win some and lose some, all our capable of going on a good run or a bad run.

Too many on here make every match a must win and then end up with their knickers in a twist.

Looking forward to this one Wolves aren't a bad unit. Fancy us to knick it with some nervy moments.

Alastair@17, if we wouldn’t have had such a bad dip since the Liverpool game, we might have still been in the running for 4th place, which shows you how badly the wheels came off.

Reading T/W, loads want Silva gone, and loads still willing to give him a chance, and although I’ve still got massive reservations because of “our openness” it’s not easy playing a season without a proper centre-forward, so I’m hoping Silva, can still be the man, and can get us playing the type of football we crave, instead of what we’re witnessing right now.

They seem a decent side so hopefully this is a good battle.

You have to be concerned about us defensively - the are better than Huddersfield.

Of course we have other problems, the midfield leaves the defense exposed far too often, this is where the game will be won and lost today. Wolves are a good counter attacking team, Silva has to employ his tactics to stop them, if he knows how, we will find out a bit more about our manager today.

Which Everton team turns up today, is an indication of the way it is. It’s a rare chance for us to get x2 b2b victories, which in this season is a milestone for this team, as it doesn’t happen often.

Hopefully the squad left will play for their professional pride and give all for Everton in the remaining games.

Should be a good atmosphere and we know some of the Wolves players, have a good dig. Hopefully not today and JP has done his homework.

I’m expecting a few goals, and may be it’s the ale from last night, but I sense the best of 5 goals today.

As long as we win..🍀🍺

Thanks, Kenwright, and Barrett-‘dodgy CV'-Baxendale!

Wolves will not show any fear playing us and I doubt they'll defend like Leicester did...

Draw.

I would love it if Baines was fit for this game, as he showed against Huddersfield he is still a very good left back. Seems if Baines doesnt make it then it will be Kenny in at left back, not easy to switch to playing on the other flank. Also Wolves tend to bring on Traore a real pace merchant who usually plays on their right, so might be another problem for young Kenny to handle.

I think Gueye will be left out to get over his disappointment at not getting his move to PSG. So looks like Tom Davies will partner Gomes, and as Marco Silva said Gomes is not really a defensive midfield player but we don't have a lot of options at present but to play him there.

Up front is where the real problem lies apart from Richarlison who has 11 goals in 20 games which is a very good return. Bernard despite starting many games is still to open his account in the league, and neither Tosun or DCL have many goals between them. The same lack of goals is also a factor for Lookman and Walcott. So to have 2 out of any of your front 3 not scoring would be a major problem for any team. Then also add that apart from Sigurdsson we don't have many goals from midfield increases the problem.
Strange because for the first 10 league games we created a lot of chances and the main criticism was of not being clinical in front of goal. Now we don't seem to create many chances and I don't understand what has changed, obviously the lack of confidence since the Derby game has become so apparent.

So lets hope today we play with the confidence we had at the start of the season and get back to winning ways before our tough encounter with City on Wednesday.

The most likely result is a draw for me. We have the advantage of it being a home game, but performance-wise this season they probably shade it so it’s very difficult to come up with a favourite.

I'll have everything crossed, it’s sure to be a nail-biter but conversely, as others have said, you never know with Everton – so I hope I'm pleasantly suprised.

I think we will win and I'm going to stick my neck on the line here and say we will see a (rare) solid performance with us winning with a bit to spare.

It is a matter of fate y'see.

They'll defend deep and play for set-pieces. We'll be unable to break them down and will concede from corners or free-kicks. Kind of like a Silva Groundhog Day.

The "give him time" brigade will repeat their mantra, whilst the rest of us realists will point at the truly awful stats Silva has in this country and puzzle at what his proponents see in this charlatan of a coach.

We can’t afford to lose both of these home games in the next four days and I’d put my
Mortgage on City beating us knowing one more slip up closes the curtain on their league hopes.

Today is bigger for Silva than it is for the actual club.

As people say, we probably are finishing between 8th and 12th, anything in that zone Moshiri won’t be pleased with regardless but for Marco Silva he desperately needs to start hoping these players can get him a run of positive results.

We have seen first hand that Everton managers don’t last long anymore.

He is not a hold-up, battering-ram, header-of-crosses type of player in the Alan Shearer mold, but a finisher. I'm not saying he is world class, (you don't get that for £27M), but the guy can find the net when chances are made for him.

Marco Silva needs to find a way to feed our strikers, not try to tiki-taka through a congested midfield or playing cross-field passes to our striker who is now out on the wing hoping he has support arriving through the middle.

Problem being they have runners that manage to find time and space, we have Richarlison who is often doubled up on so I'm hoping Lookman is brought back in ahead of Bernard.

Davies deserves to keep his place he got forward well last game but he may be asked to help out the full backs a bit more today. Left back could be a problem area for us.

I don't think Gana or Baines should be risked if not fully fit. Subs should be interesting:-
DCL/Tosun
Lookman/Bernard
McCarthy
Stekelenburg
Walcott
Feeney
Hornby/Adeniran/Markelo/A.N.Other

Bernard is influential for 45 minutes but fades, so would bring Lookman on at half time.

Wolves are playing well and we need a big improvement to match them.