Everton manager Sam Allardyce faces a difficult task given the squad he inherited.
Everton manager Sam Allardyce is determined to help the club preserve their Premier League status, but, following the 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion at the weekend, he highlighted one of the biggest problems that he has to contend with.
As reported by The Guardian, Allardyce revealed that he feels Gylfi Sigurdsson and Wayne Rooney cannot play together, with the latter only featuring as a substitute against West Brom.
Last summer, prior to Allardyce’s arrival, Everton undertook a significant recruitment drive, with Sigurdsson and Rooney amongst the players joining the club.
However, Everton were left with an imbalanced squad, highlighted by the fact that they possess a host of creative midfielders yet have to deploy a right-back in Cuco Martina at left-back as they have limited alternatives to the injured Leighton Baines.
Allardyce is attempting to put his stamp on the squad and has brought in Theo Walcott and Cenk Tosun, but Everton’s squad is still in need of significant improvement.
Despite Allardyce’s reputation for defensive resilience, Everton have conceded eleven goals in their last five games in all competitions and, although they are in ninth place in the Premier League, are just six points clear of the drop zone.
It surely won’t be possible for Allardyce to fully rectify the issues with Everton’s squad during this transfer window but he must make the most of the resources that he has, meaning some major players may have to be dropped at certain moments for the benefit of the team.
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