<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=29vKnH_0uz2OcLZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=29vKnH_0uz2OcLZ00" width="1210" height="806" ></figure><h2>Tactics</h2><p>Last year was the first full season of Sean Dyche in charge of Everton, and we got to see that the manager’s preferred formation for the Blues was the 4-4-1-1, which switched to a 4-1-4-1 when playing against lower-calibre opposition. </p><p>The Blues’ dearth of attacking options, especially in the central attacking midfield position, meant that Sean Dyche always had a number of willing runners who could harry the opposition to win the ball back higher up the pitch, but then do little with the ball itself especially when going up against teams that effectively played a low block. </p><p>This season though, the Blues are in a position to play more expansively with more attacking options both central and wide, but the key will be not getting over-run when playing a double pivot in the middle, something that has not gone well for the Toffees in the past. </p><h2>Current Players</h2><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2TxS3o_0uz2OcLZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2TxS3o_0uz2OcLZ00" width="1920" height="1280" ><h2>Idrissa Gana Gueye</h2><p>Despite some high-profile errors that led to turnovers in dangerous areas, Idrissa Gueye was mostly pretty solid shielding the defence effectively, but believe it or not, it was the four goals that he scored on the other end of the pitch that ended up securing survival for the Blues. Three of those ended up being game-winners, and he stepped it up late in the season too with three goals in the last four weeks of the season. </p><p>Towards the end of the season with pressure mounting during the relegation battle, Dyche turned to Gana more often than the mercurial Amadou Onana, which is a pretty good indicator of how highly the manager thinks of the midfielder. </p><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3R9iqf_0uz2OcLZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3R9iqf_0uz2OcLZ00" width="1920" height="1280" ><h2>Abdoulaye Doucoure</h2><p>A mainstay of the Blues midfield over the past three years, the role the French-born Malian international will play this season remains to be seen. His goals seemed to dry up last season after he got back from injury, but the truth is Everton are a different side when he is on the pitch. </p><p>With Doucoure in the XI, Everton tend to press higher, win the ball back more frequently, but unsurprisingly, also waste more chances and tend to give the ball away more easily too. He’s not blessed with particularly quick or nifty feet, but has an engine and a half and can run for days. </p><p>The Blues have only managed to win three of the 36 games he’s missed over the last three seasons, which should both be a worry and an indicator of how important he is to the side. It’s going to be on Dyche to see how to strike a balance in the middle with forgoing some defensive stability while adding some attacking impetus. </p><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=11QPyx_0uz2OcLZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=11QPyx_0uz2OcLZ00" width="1920" height="1280" ><h2>James Garner</h2><p>James Garner had a slow start to his Goodison career as a series of niggling injuries kept him out of the reckoning early in his first season. It was his versatility and ability to perform in a variety of positions, including filling in at right back when injuries to Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson forced Dyche’s hand later in that season, and he continued to provide the Blues with that flexibility last year too. </p><p>This preseason Garner has talked about his desire to chip in with more goals, with his four goal contributions last season belying his setpiece delivery ability. He remains a bit of a mystery in terms of how best he could be utilized in this Everton side, but certainly has the ability to provide Premier League quality anywhere he lines up. </p><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=09Zbq3_0uz2OcLZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=09Zbq3_0uz2OcLZ00" width="1920" height="1280" ><h2>Tim Iroegbunam</h2><p>Everton’s first signing of the summer at first looked like a Profit &amp; Sustainability Rules (PSR) makeweight with Onana going the other way to Aston Villa. However, a lot of the hype that the player came with from Villa Park has already proven itself with the 21-year-old the Blues’ best and most consistent player of a somewhat shaky preseason campaign. </p><p>His ability to play in a two-man midfield is what got the Blues interested in him, but the key for Dyche will be whether Iroegbunam plays alongside Gueye, or partnered with a more technical player in Garner. Onana’s departure has left big shoes to fill in terms of a shutdown midfielder with strong passing range, but the former Villa man </p><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3gquCZ_0uz2OcLZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3gquCZ_0uz2OcLZ00" width="1920" height="1280" ><h2>State of the Position</h2><p>The Blues were short of depth in the summer with Andre Gomes and then Onana leaving, and only Iroegbunam being added to the mix. However, with a number of attack-minded players being brought in, it’s likely that Doucoure will move to a more defensive role. </p><p>Four players in the engine room for the season does feel concerning, especially given that all three incumbents have struggled with injuries in the past and both Gana and Doucoure are in their thirties now. </p><p>It’s very unlikely though with other needs more pressing that Everton do bring in another midfielder. Youngster Harrison Armstrong has looked remarkably calm and composed in the few minutes he’s played this preseason, and it will be worth keeping an eye on him this season. </p><p>It will be interesting to see how Dyche balances this critical part of the field. He has some flexibility depending on the situation and his ability to change the personnel in order to change strategy will certainly lead to greater success.</p></div></body>

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Everton 2024/25 Season Preview: Central Midfielders | Enough depth for a long season?

Last year was the first full season of Sean Dyche in charge of Everton, and we got to see that the manager’s preferred formation for the Blues was the 4-4-1-1, which switched to a 4-1-4-1 when playing against lower-calibre opposition. The Blues’ dearth of attacking options, especially in the...

Everton 2024/25 Season Preview: Central Midfielders | Enough depth for a long season?

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