Morgan Schneiderlin was sent off in Everton’s opening day fixture against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Despite Everton’s high-flying transfer window, Crystal Palace held Marco Silva’s side to a goalless draw at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Both sides looked conservative in their attacks but the Eagles definitely finished the game as the brighter side.
Morgan Schneiderlin’s 76th-minute red card was the biggest talking point in an otherwise underwhelming game and Jean-Philippe Gbamin’s brilliant debut display could keep the former Manchester United man out of the starting line-up for a long time.
The Toffees, who usually play a 4-2-3-1 formation, have Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Gomes as guaranteed starters. The number six role previously occupied by Idrissa Gueye was filled by Schneiderlin on Saturday but Gbamin’s assured presence could complete Everton’s midfield.
The Ivorian, in his 45 minutes, contributed to 31 passes with a decent passing accuracy of over 77% (WhoScored). His positioning looked near perfect and his composure on the ball makes him an ideal candidate to start alongside Gomes in the centre of the park.
With Schneiderlin suspended for the game against Watford at Goodison Park, a midfield trio of Gomes, Sigurdsson and Gbamin is expected to start and, if they manage to have a good game, they could well remain Silva’s preferred choice for the rest of the campaign.
This would force Schneiderlin to play a bit-part role off the bench, which would be difficult for him considering that he will turn 30 this November. Lack of playing time could potentially see him push for a move but, if Silva can convince him to settle for a backup role, Everton would have a solid player to see out games.
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