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Everton have failed to win any of their last 22 games against ‘big six’ opposition, with their last victory coming in January 2017 as they stunned Manchester City by beating them 4-0 at Goodison Park. The Toffees will be hoping to put this unwanted record behind them when they play Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.
The Merseysiders have been transformed under Marco Silva and they head into the Premier League weekend in eighth place, although they will certainly have their sights set on a top six place given the money that was spent during the summer transfer window.
Spurs though are in extremely good form and will be on a high after beating their North London rivals Arsenal in the quarter final of the Carabao Cup in midweek.
With both teams looking to play quick football it is set to be an interesting and exciting game, and here at Football FanCast we’ve taken a closer look at the tactical factors that could decide the outcome.
The Key Battle – Harry Kane vs Yerry Mina
During the summer, then Barcelona centre-back Yerry Mina was linked with both Tottenham and Everton after his impressive World Cup campaign in Russia. It was the Toffees who eventually prevailed though, signing the 6ft 5in 24-year-old on deadline day for £27m.
Since coming into the side he has impressed for Everton, but it will be his job to martial Harry Kane on Sunday, and the England captain has scored a brace in his last three games against the Merseyside club.
These two of course met in the round of 16 during the World Cup, where Kane’s second-half penalty was cancelled out by Mina’s late equaliser, but it was England who went through though after a tense penalty shootout. Mina dealt with Kane brilliantly that day, and he will need a similar performance if Everton are to get the three points this weekend.
The Key Dynamic – Tottenham’s High-Press
During their 3-1 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad last weekend we saw Everton trying to play out from the back.
However, Jordan Pickford’s mistake in playing the ball to Kurt Zouma at the wrong time led to City’s first goal, and Tottenham will employ a similar high-pressing style to that of Pep Guardiola’s side.
It is unlikely that Silva will change his philosophy for this game, but Mauricio Pochettino will have his side ready to make the most of any sniff of an error made by the Toffees.
Which big 6 club needs to do the most business in January? Check out what the Playmaker FC squad think in the video below…
The Deciding Factor – The Midfield Battle
With both managers likely to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the deciding factor in this game could be which midfield wins the head-to-head battle against their opposite numbers. The home side will likely play Andre Gomes and Idrissa Gueye in deeper positions with Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has been in tremendous form this season, in the number 10 role.
Gomes and Gueye offer Silva a perfect balance of defensive protection whilst still retaining a strong creative element, and it could perhaps be argued that they are stronger than the expected Tottenham pairing of Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko, especially as the Frenchman seemed to slip back to his old ways against Arsenal in the week.
One Spurs player who did produce against Arsenal though was Dele Alli. The 22-year-old will surely play as a number 10 against Everton, and his goal against the Gunners exuded class.
The Impact Subs – Ademola Lookman vs Erik Lamela
Having signed Erik Lamela for the club in the summer of 2013, Spurs fans are only now seeing the best out of the Argentine winger. So far this season, the 26-year-old has netted six goals and provided two assists in all competitions.
Although he may not start against Everton, it is highly likely that Pochettino will bring him off the bench to provide fresh legs in the second half, especially if Lucas Digne at left-back is getting forward and the Spurs boss wants to pin him back by forcing him to defend.
Everton though have a winger of their own to come off the bench. Ademola Lookman was kept around by Silva during the summer despite the potential for him to move away on loan. Whilst out at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season, the now 21-year-old scored five goals and provided four assists in just 11 games. If he can re-discover such form on the weekend then he could prove to be the perfect impact sub.
