Everton vs Crystal Palace: Preview, Predicted Lineups and Where to Watch

People may look twice at that, but I'm telling you one thing now, Michael Keane is without a shadow of a doubt our best finisher and I state that in terms of both on the deck and in the air.

Why can't Keane play there?

Dion Dublin and Chris Sutton were both good strikers that often at times in their careers were deployed at centre half and did a more than able job.

If Moyes persists with the same formation again I think it's asking for more of them same, pedestrian movement and no threat up front.

Try something radical, I don't care if its not a good look dropping strikers, just play a team that benefits us.

Preferably till after the January window when we can sign someone remotely resembling a striker.

Yes, he's a very good finisher but would he have the mobility, stamina and speed to go tearing around up front for a full 90 minutes? I just can't see it.

Throw him up front with 20 minutes to go, maybe.

What I will say is we can't keep playing carousel with Beto and Barry and neither of them making a difference with going throughout most games not getting a shot off or header at goal.

I have heard people say commit the next 10 games to Barry now, which is fair enough because Beto looks completely exposed now.

But if Barry plays the next 10 and still doesn't look any further along, then surely we've got to try something different.

I'd like to see both Alcaraz and Dibling come in with Ndiaye playing up top.

No starting spot for Beto or Barry.

‘Would he have the mobility, stamina and speed?'

In all fairness, Ray, I haven't seen Beto succeed in any of these this season, and Keane is better in the air, and definitely a better first touch.

Jim has a point, but can't see Moyes making that kind of decision. Alcaraz has played Number 9 previously, could play him upfront, Dibling on the right, and Ndiaye as Number 10, and forget about the aerial route.

There's no point in buying players that size and not giving them plenty crosses into the box.

Personally, I'm in the camp that says unless Moyes is open to alternative solutions, it really is time to give Barry a decent run in the side, the same as has been afforded to Beto this season. I think we've seen enough of that.

It's not impossible he will do this but he still talks about Beto's value last season and, being the man he is, he may prefer to bet on a miracle resurgence, rather than a punt on what is still an unknown value in Barry.

The case for Barry is that, while he has no goals or even shots on goal this season, that is not surprising given he mostly gets 20 minutes at the end, and he did actually start in maybe our best performance this season against Brighton and actually looked slightly promising.

Definition of madness and all that.

You are correct in stating they would not be that nimble on their feet. But you would think they could head a ball.

Beto has scored with his head, but Barry is, well, useless with his head.

A big striker doesn't have to have nimble feet, but you'd expect him to have a first touch, not hit off his boot and land 3 ft away, which Beto does.

Branthwaite and Röhl out until at least after the International break, Röhl supposed to be a minor injury 3 weeks ago.

Moyes needs to develop some testicles and throw away the shackles of his historic and predictable eunuch tendancies.

Most Blues l know would have Ndiaye as a false 9... but hey, what do we know?

Why Big Dunc or Rooney aren't at the club to help the strikers is a mystery.

Some may disagree. That's my personal opinion.

I'm not disputing how poor Beto and Barry have been. I just don't think Keane up front for 90 minutes would fare any better.

We'd lose his defensive abilities and, besides, playing at the back, he can still score from a set piece.

I personally cannot see him chasing down for 90 minutes, running onto through balls etc. I'd rather have Alcaraz and possibly Ndiaye starting up top.

I know that we are at home but I would pack the midfield and play on the break and use Ndiaye as a roaming player.

He's played a key part in two goals, and started just the one Premier League game.

Have there been hints from Finch Farm that that may be an actual option?

Personally I'd be amazed, and a little disappointed, if we reverted to playing a centre-back up top... like a throwback to Mike Lyons.

I know there's not a hope in hell of Keane playing upfront, I think it's just being said in desperation, but didn't Dyche throw him upfront a few times?

This suggestion is madness from someone with no responsibility for the outcome. Putting Keane as centre-forward would mean a huge gap in defence.

What would we have? Coleman or Patterson, Tarkowski O'Brien and Mykolenko. When that line-up concedes a couple of goals, the fanbase would be in uproar for the irresponsible decision.

On the Beto vs Barry debate, from what I have seen to date, I think Beto is a better option. The biggest problem is that he is not getting the supply that most suits him. I don't think Barry has the same impact on the opposing defence and has an impulsive nature, a bit like Moise Kean.

I agree that doing the same thing over and over again is madness. From what I have seen from our games is Plan A which is pass the ball to Grealish, and see if he can get in crosses or win a free or set somebody up for a shot on goal.

Opposition sides have that sussed and double up on Jack, meaning his crosses are too low, or he is forced to play the ball backwards or sideways.

Either way, we eventually are trying to play into a centre forward who does not have great close control in a crowded penalty area because the build-up was so slow and the opposition have loads of time to set up defensively.

When Plan A doesn't work, we still try Plan A. If we moved the ball much quicker from defence to Beto, this at least gives him a chance to score. Refer to most of Beto's goals last season.

Sesko only has 1 in 6 so far.

Look at how hard Nunez, Hojlund and (initially) Cunha found it.

It’s a tough competitive league and we’re one of the poorer squads in it. It will take time

Neil # 19, the madness of doing the same thing over again is probably more applicable to Everton fans who expect top 6 performances at bottom 10 prices.

Bit too radical for Moyes to put Charly Alcaraz up front but, against Palace, I would see that working. He would chase down defenders and is a more accurate finisher and links up play quite well.

I think we've got to persevere with Barry. It's too early to write him off... especially as two of the supporting front three are also new to the team.

Personally, I think Ndiaye is the key.

No running back defending in his own area. He knows where the onion bag is. He is at Rotherham on loan.

What this does highlight is our inability to do our homework with respect to strikers, we're still scratching around looking for diamonds in the rough. Our last decent striker was Lukaku. We've spunked a fortune on a plethora of low to mid range dross since then.

l'd rather go down the road of buying quality and pay more than carry on this cycle of dud deals. Recent history too tells us they're out there: Brighton find decent players at reasonable prices, Bournemouth find decent players...

Further afield, you have clubs like Lille, RB Leipzig and Frankfurt who seem to churn players out too.

I think Barry deserves a lot more patience than mostly half a game starts and even less. You are right: he hasn't shown anything great and might not do so in the future but surely he deserves more time than he's had.

Colin (23),

Martin Sherif scored last night for Rotherham, he's a big strong lad but not sure how long he has left on his Everton contract — is this his last season?

I'm not expecting Top 6 but on wages at least, we are pretty much around the middle at 11th biggest wage bill, some way ahead of the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton and even Palace.

https://www.givemesport.com/premier-league-wage-bill/

Anywhere around 10-12th would be okay and in line with what we pay. Top 6 would be a miracle (and won't happen). I tend to think we might end up underperforming our wage position. Hope I'm wrong.

Mind you, those wages might be wrong anyway. Look at Leeds and if Dom skimmed them for £120k a week, I guess good luck to him. Then the next two: Harrison and Bamford. At least our 3 highest are proper Premier League players.

There are going to be relatively few examples of low-cost strikers who made an immediate impact.

Bournemouth bought Kroupi in January and he's a really big talent (much more natural talent than Barry) but it could be more than 2 years before he's ready to lead the line for them. In the meantime, they have Evanilson who cost a fair bit more than Barry -- and before prices went bananas too.

Although we're in 11th place, my recollection is that we're closer to Burnley in 20th than those around 7th or 8th. If I'm wrong, by all means correct me.

Bamford was released by Leeds at the beginning of the season

I believe I am a realist. Namely, there is no point moaning about our strikers because that's all we have. All I want to see is that we use our resources (players) as best we can.

When Moyes came in, he certainly got the best out of the squad Dyche worked with. I am hoping that he can figure out how to get the best out of this squad. I am not a Moyes knocker but am a little disappointed with his performance to date.

I do believe there is a decent team in there... he just has to figure out how to get the best out of them. We can then look to January to improve further.

By 'decent', I mean being competitive in the top half of the table and no longer going through the season trying to figure out if we will be safe. Rome wasn't built in a day and this should be a work in progress but progress is expected. NSNO.

We have always been too hasty to get rid of players before they have had the chance to gain confidence and establish themselves in the team.

Lookman is a prime example. Now one of the hottest properties in Italy.

But even so, 11th is where we are and that would be my benchmark. I've never thought it likely we would be Top 10. I just hope we are near to best of the rest, as we should be.

Bear in mind also that being 11th in Premier League spending means you are one of the biggest spenders in Europe. We pay more than clubs who have won lesser European trophies. It's why I don't quite buy the idea that we are bottom feeders. Not in world or European terms, we are at or near to the top table.

Granted we won't and don't get the cream, they look for Champions League football but we should be getting the best of the rest.

And while I agree buying anyone for £30m or less is not going to buy you certainty, we have tried to mitigate that risk by buying several in that bracket and not one has come off so far.

I'd have hoped we might have got 'lucky' with at least one. At the very least, I'd like to have seen some promise, even if goals are not guaranteed at this stage. The problem is the lack of evident promise.

Given, as I say above, Moyes is unlikely to be lateral, I'm in the camp that thinks Barry merits a proper run out. We've seen Beto and, to be blunt, it's not pretty. We haven't really seen enough of Barry to know if that promise exists or not.

I think we have no choice but to give him a proper try, he's not that young...

Any recent precedent re: postponements due to high winds etc? It's wild outside right now and my weather app says the wind speeds will be almost identical at 2 pm on Sunday.

A win for Palace I'm afraid to say, 1-2, could be more like if we get off to a slow start again!

Breezy on Sunday but I doubt anywhere near enough for a postponement, 20 mph with 35-40 mph gusts.

Also, there are other ways of changing games.

However, I still think we have a chance of a top 10 finish. It's so early in the season anything can happen -- and we are always significantly better when Branthwaite plays (providing pace at centre-back).

Grealish, Alcaraz and Ndiaye, front three with freedom to switch, 4-3-3.

Come on, Davey, give it a go, fuck a defence up nicely.

Goodness knows what has happened to his confidence, moving to a new club, new country, and a player not good enough for the Championship is picked ahead of him.

Some may have seen that Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall are both near the top of the chances created table but of the many chances created (I think it was around 30) I read that only 2 were for Beto (he scored one of them) and 1 for Barry. The vast majority were falling for Garner and especially Gana.

If the way the team is attacking is primarily creating chances for our defense midfielders then that is an issue! Put Beto or Barry into a team that stretch defenses and get forward quickly, like Palace or Bournemouth, and I suspect they'd look more effective.

Grealish is a good player but he likes to cut back and slow things down whilst our top scorer from last season is now shooting off his weaker foot. Lots for Moyes to fix.

I'd like to have a look at all these chances(?) every player has been credited with. I think plenty of them will be a load of nonsense or at best half chances.#

Where do all these bleedin' stats come from and the assists— Grealish gets an assist for a 2-yard pass to Garner who lashes the ball home from the angle of the penalty area nearly 20 yards from the goal — an absolutely brilliant shot from Garner... but an assist! For fuck's sake. give it a rest!

What a website!

How about we play the young French Under-21 International we bought and give him some time and patience?

You lot would have written off Mateta and Semenyo after their first 6 to 12 months or so.

I would really recommend watching the ToffeeTV recent show - should Everton mix it up v Crystal Palace

And listen to ‘The Piv' -- someone who has worked in football.

But I think the point remains: we seem to be creating more opportunities for the central midfielders at the edge of the box than the strikers, which was not the case last season under Moyes.

But don't bother reading Ranting Ryan.

I don't mind watching Dewsbury-Hall, his goal at Wolves was brilliant, but quite often I see him taking runners with him and running into the space ahead of him, which I personally think should be left for Grealish to go one-on-one with the defender.

Grealish can beat a man, but I don't think it's his greatest strength. I think his greatest strength is teasing players and drawing more defenders towards the ball, and then moving the ball on to a teammate in space (so it's up to his teammates to make the most of this by taking up positions that give them more time and space).

By running into the space (often space that should be left for Grealish to attack), Dewsbury-Hall is taking opponents who are going to go there anyway with him.

I sometimes think that he should be waiting for them to double up on Jack, and be making better positions for himself to receive the little flick that Grealish is a master of.

This would give him time to shoot or more time to create for someone else but isn't really a part of Dewsbury-Hall's game at the moment (he always wants to advance). With 20 minutes remaining, I have been thinking that, if McNeil was introduced, Grealish would probably be creating a lot of shooting opportunities for Dwight, simply because I think he would be wanting to take up such a position quite naturally, knowing that Grealish has got the ability to set him up.

I'm not criticising Dewsbury-Hall, because I know he's been creating chances (according to the stats, he's in the top six, I've just read!), but I am critiquing the current inflexibility of our manager who is waiting too long and then just usually bringing on like-for-like substitutes.

McNeil does have a decent shot in him, but playing centrally I think he would add to his lack of pace in the side. The choice of McNeil or Alcaraz is a coin toss.

I hope to see Ndiaye moved centrally vs Palace, and Dibling given a go wide right. There's an argument for Alcaraz coming in, but I hope Dibling starts.

He loses the ball too much and makes us susceptible on the break.

He hangs onto the ball better than just about anyone I've ever seen pull on the Blue shirt.

If he loses it, it's because he's charged with taking the game on and creating chances.

He's excellent at dribbling and taking on players, but he still does lose it a lot and we get broken on. Doucoure lost it more, that's true, but it was rarely when we had men committed.

Personally, I'd play him at Number 10 with instructions not to over chew it and set up the team to protect against transition. However, I don't think Moyes will take the risk.

Try dropping Beto and Barry, put Ndiaye at centre-forward, with Dibling on the right, Alacarz in for Dewsbury-Hall.

We have got to try something...

Andy, you're suggestion is a good one. I also think that the manager needs to look at how slow we can be in the final third. We allow the opposition defence to get set and it is so difficult for the forwards to get space.

Let's write off another young centre-forward.

I see Frank Lampard is doing well at Coventry. Another manager not given more than 18 months before he's chased out by the worst fan base in English football.

Seriously, Ryan, you should have a little think about what you're saying before you write it down, kid, unless you genuinely do believe that Everton have got the worst fan base in the country.

Maybe you can back up what you say with examples but, through the desperation and exasperation, I'd argue that Everton have actually got some of the greatest supporters in the land.

Ian @53, it's not really a coin toss for the manager, who rarely does anything different than like-for-like subs, is the point that I am trying to make.

We probably have one of the best fan bases in the Premier League.

Look at how many fans who go to all the away games through thick and thin, when our club was a complete shambles in the boardroom... unreal.

With the exception of the golden years of the mid-80s, we've been mediocre at best for over 50 years. And now we are filling a 52k stadium.

I'd say that's a pretty fair fan base. Maybe intolerant but that's what decades of shite does to you.

Probably a comment made in frustration, brought on by reading ToffeeWeb too much!

Constantly attacks his own supporters, which is very poor form.

Grealish loses the ball quite a lot as well at a slower pace and stuck to the same left flank every time.

He's still dangerous on the left, but slows the game down too much.

You might be right but my argument is I don't think Grealish has the energy to play in the central position.

He was good at it at Villa but he's 30 now and I might be wrong but maybe his past lifestyle has caught up with him.

It's changed a lot, that attacking midfield position, especially with the tendency to have 2 wide forwards high up the pitch. There's a lot more defensive responsibility than there ever was.

Playing Grealish there is probably as much a pipe dream as playing Ndiaye at striker. Sounds good on paper but there's scant evidence that it would work.

Grealish has been playing great for us since he signed.

Yes, he's a different player to his Villa days. He's aged, as we all have. I don't think that's any reason to take a cheap shot at his perceived lifestyle.

Just makes me think that writing Barry off after around 180 minutes of Premier League football is probably a knee-jerk reaction.

You think Grealish has been playing great for Everton, as do many Everton fans... I think he could do a lot more by moving around more.

I've got no axe to grind with Grealish so no cheap shot. I've read about him including his own admittance that he could have lived his off-field life differently, so just stating what's been written about him -- and he's not going to be telling porkies about himself.

Ignore the hype, Jack, and let your football do the talking.

Everton youth (Small, Gibson, Dobin and Armstrong) played with Armstrong MotM.

With the theft of Dewsbury-Hall for this one, that's high energy and commitment gone with no one to replace it. Possibly Dibling.

Knowing Moyes, pedestrian Charly will fill in. I pray to the god of all things shite it ain't Iroegbunam with Garner pushed up top.

I don't think the Palace defence will be losing any sleep tonight.

Palace continue to be an unpredictable opponent. For years, they flattered to deceive with outstanding attacking talent like Zaha, Olise and Eze, but so often failed to deliver. Now, Glasner seems to have sorted their defence and midfield whilst retaining potency with Sarr and Mateta.

We can still beat them but we will need to meet fire with fire, I suspect. Has Davey been able to find a more effective blend from those players currently available? We live in hope!

Come on, you resurgent Blues!

Same old Everton, expect the unexpected: slip up against teams we expect to beat, then spring a surprise in a game you are less hopeful of. Nothing surprises me anymore with Everton and I fully expect a result tomorrow.

Up the Toffees.

Grealish is at his best when working with an overlapping full-back. His strength is he very rarely loses the ball and draws opposition players onto him, leaving space for others to exploit.

Ndiaye is the opposite. His strength is taking defenders on and taking big risks, often either looking brilliant or losing possession.

Both players should be scoring more with their ability -- and hopefully it will come tomorrow.

That is Grealish's strength, but Moyes is playing him more as an inverted winger with no overlapping full-back. Grealish is a left attacking midfielder first and in this inverted winger role he is getting pushed even more left as the defence are trying to contain him.

This in my opinion is was what West Ham successfully did. Ndiaye, who normally is on the left, was on the right in a similar position, in which he had never played in before. Ndiaye knows himself that he has a way to go to become proficient on the right.

The build up is more about keeping shape and a low block in place, than a swifter attack and movement to create space. This was even the case when West Ham obviously set up shop. With Everton's defensive line too deep, this allowed space in midfield for counter-attacking movement for West Ham. It is all about Moyes trying to control rather than let players build on their own play.

Most of Everton's attacks on goal were shots from outside the goal, bar the odd under-pressure cross. Keane's goal was the opposite of all of this. It was swifter with movement.

It was also obvious that Grealish was instructed to provide rather than shoot. Both Grealish and Ndiaye should be scoring goals but, in Moyes's set-up, this will not happen. Grealish in the Premier League is top provider of assists to goal-scoring opportunities at the moment.

I am fairly certain that Moyes won't tell Grealish to shoot, nor is he sitting there with a Nintendo controller with any of the players. There will be certain things asked of players but, once they cross the white line, it's on them.

The issue we have is a lack of balance in the side. We need a here-and-now right winger, and we are fudging it by putting a very good left winger on the wrong side. Ndiaye failed at Marseille for that very reason.

Grealish doesn't have pace. He has great control, but needs runners off him.

Best hope is Baines and Coleman come down with some kind of Benjamin Button disease and give us another 15 years of service.

Really we should have prioritized at least one attacking full-back this summer as having two wingers who want to cut in playing with two defensive full-backs just makes us narrow and predictable. We could have bought Diouf for what we paid for a now unused Alcaraz.

We will lose.

He works hard, decent link up, and he's got a finisher's knack. Definitely a bit of Tim Cahill about him.

I thought it was interesting listening to Moyes in his press interview, he said it would take time for Ndaiye to get used to playing on the right, but went on to say he can also play on the other flank and he has played centrally as well.

Could that be a hint that Ndaiye may play in the Number 10 role to replace Dewsbury-Hall? Surely he has to start Dibling, the lad has yet to start a league game and he has been here long enough to know what role he has to play.

Also glad to hear that Moyes has spoken to Grealish about shooting more than he has done so far. Defenders are expecting Grealish to try and get down to the goal line and cross or pull it back to the edge of the box, so mixing it up a bit with shots will give defenders another headache.

With an International break to follow, a win would certainly move us up towards the top half; while Palace are a good side, I think we might just nick this one.

With Ndiaye and Dibling playing in their best positions and Grealish in a position where he has at least two forward passing options, I think this is our best chance of winning or getting something out of this game. Because without a doubt in my mind, we will have to score. This will not be a nil-nil draw.

Worth a punt, surely?

We are too ponderous going forward, we don't look quick or threatening enough for me, he might liven up the attack.

Watching the best teams, they all have 2 or 3 speedsters in the team.

"Why did we spend so much of our budget on a player who won't have started a Premier League game so far this season???"

We are unusually slow and it is very limiting.

Their defence is solid; we will play the same way, give the ball to Grealish to see if he can create anything... and that's about it with us.

Come on, Everton -- prove me wrong! COYBs

Smart money is on a like-for-like replacement for Dewsbury-Hall, one of the Barreto twins coming on for the other around 50 minutes, and Dibling coming on in the 97th minute.

I actually think Barry should be told he's guaranteed starter for the next 5 games and take some pressure off him and really see if he's got something. Grealish, Ndiaye and Dibling behind him and told to be fluid, flip-flopping between left, centre and right. They all seem smart enough to do that and it'd mess with the opposition game plan.

And if it fails, stick with it! Iraola didn't start well at Bournemouth because it takes time. He had the balls to not fall into pragmatism.

I still fancy us though, we have what it takes to be able to grab a win. I want us to remain unbeaten at home for as long as possible.

Given results in recent years, another draw might well be on the cards.

I'd try a midfield front 3 of Grealish, Ndiaye and Dibling, with instructions to interchange and mix it up a bit. Might lose a bit defensively but it might be fun! Entertain me.

Let's not expect three subs brought on at the 60th-minute mark today then if the game's in the balance.

COYB. Hoping Dibling gets a start, suspect he will.

Somebody tell me I am wrong.

Today obviously is tough but Palace have to lose sometime, right?

Pity about Dewsbury-Hall but officiating is still poor despite VAR.

Chance for Alcaraz to cement a claim.

Eek!

Can't watch as I am at a christening at 2:00 pm and I am not sure if that is a blessing.

COYB

Here's hoping I'm wrong.