The brilliant Sky Sports pundit and Hammers favourite Tony Gale is our top CanH analyst this week and considers the burning question: “Does Slav stick with Reece Oxford at Goodison Park tomorrow?”
Galey will be appearing in guest CandH blogs regularly and says: “It’s a great site for Irons fans and I’m always delighted to be asked to give my views here.”
Thanks Tone!
Slaven Bilic pulled a masterstroke against Spurs when going three at the back – or five – dependent on how you want to see it but tomorrow he has a bigger problem when he returns to his old club.
Like Spurs Everton have full backs – Baines and Colman – who like to bomb on and whilst Slav’s plan worked on Wednesday it won’t come as a surprise to The Toffees so he may decide to go another way.
From all we are hearing he won’t have Winston Reid, Tomkins or Collins and of course Byram is suspended so he has the choice of purring Antonio, Kouyate, Ogbonna and Cresswell across the back or bringing in Oxford with Cheik moving back into midfield.
He will have two playing out of position if he plays Kouyate AND Antonio so he may well decide to go with young Reece rather than Alex Song.
He showed massive bravery in sending on the teenager against Spurs but that 20 minutes will have done the kid more good than a season in the under 21s.
To choosehim over a Barcelona an Arsenal player is fantastic and personally I hope he goes that way tomorrow although I’m aware that Lukaku could try to bully him.
However, Reece is good, very good and I hope he gets the chance to show it again. If it all gets too much then the Song option is on the bench although I can imagine he got the hump being overlooked on Wednesday night.
It could happen again and should that be the case it means Slav is going with the Academy kid who will be here for years as opposed to a player who I think will be gone at the end of the year.
Given the pressure of the Spurs game and the fact that Everton simply cruised past a very poor Villa side, tomorrow could be very hard for us but there’s an incredible spirit in the squad and I think they could get a point.
I’d be pretty happy with that.
COYI
we have an awful record against the Toffee’s, i’d go with Song instead of Oxford, the sheer experience alone makes this a simple decision imo, Reece as back up later!
There is the old adage, if you’re good enough you’re old enough and the Spurs outing will have done him the power of good.
On Wednesday night Kouyate and Obiang were particulaly immense (as were most everyone really)
My biggest concern against Everton is that they come out clogging again , particularly McCarthy who made a point of targeting Payet, but it seemed as if this was the Martinez mantra on the day.
We need a strong ref and protection for the skilled boys and I think we will rewrite recent history up there.
Song will add nothing to our midfield and we have tried traditional methods against them for years and it does not work,we need to keep there wing backs going backwards and playing 5 across the back gives us that,
Antonio is not a natural full back and it’s better for him to play 5 at the back,
If Noble and Obiang get over run bring song on but other wise I would stick with it and leave Payet,Lanzini and Emankini to run free up top keeping the defence busy
COYI
Emankini,hahahaha.That’s a good one bubs,like it 😀