Everton will host Manchester United on Sunday 4th December 2016 for the next round of match in the Premier League. The two teams sit in the 6th and 7th spots of the Premier League table and are separated by just 1 point. Both of them have been disappointing in recent weeks.
Ronald Koeman’s men started well but have tailed off in recent months and have found it hard to win games. The same can be said of United who have shown massive profligacy in front of goal. Sunday’s match at Goodison is thus a key game for both the teams.
Everton, though, need to win the match to make sure they do not lose any more ground on the teams around them. There were expected to challenge for the top four spots after spending big money and need to beat United to put down a marker.
Let’s take a look at three Everton players who have not performed to their expectations so far and need to step up and perform against Manchester United.
Ross Barkley
The 22-year old is one of the most talented youngsters to graduate from the Everton academy in recent years. In 2013/14, the Englishman showed his talents and captured the imagination of the Goodison faithful. However, since then, he has not been able to develop into the player all expected him to be and this season, he has again shown his frustrating inconsistencies.
We never know which Barkley will turn out up on the pitch as he can be either brilliant as he was against Tottenham and West Ham or can be a complete disaster like against Chelsea, Sunderland or Southampton.
Kevin Mirallas
The in-form Mirallas is a player who Everton are really missing this term. The Belgian has been struggling this season and possibly because of the arrival of Bolasie. Mirallas lost his place in the team but couldn’t show that fight with his performances to regain the position.
With a single goal and an assist to show for from his 13 appearances in the league, Mirallas is a player who needs to replicate his own self and play his natural game which made him a household name when he joined the Merseyside club.
On his day, he is unstoppable as he has a bag of tricks and a good burst of pace. Will Manchester United full-backs feel the heat come Sunday? The Everton fans will certainly hope so.
Gerard Deulofeu
The Spanish attacking midfielder acted as the effective alternate weapon for Everton coming off the bench last year and also did quite well when he got to start in the first team, scoring twice and providing 8 assists.
This year, he has made 9 appearances, 6 of them as substitute but has been below par in almost all of them. With no goals or assists to show for yet, Deulofeu needs to perform when he gets the chance. Considering that he will be coming off the bench in the game against United, Everton’s number 7 will get no better chance to get back into the groove with an impactful performance on Sunday.
