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Everton boss Marco Silva needs to select Andre Gomes in the number 10 position to get the best out of the Portuguese, but that would mean dropping Gylfi Sigurdsson.
The Chalkboard
After missing the start of the season through injury, Gomes – a loan signing from Barcelona – made his Everton debut against Crystal Palace towards the end of October.
The 29-time Portugal international had an excellent next couple of months, but his form has dipped in recent weeks and he has not completed any of Everton’s last four league matches.
Gomes started on the bench against Liverpool on Sunday, with Sigurdsson in attacking midfield and Morgan Schneiderlin and Idrissa Gueye sat in behind.
Toffees boss Silva clearly felt that Gomes was not robust enough to start as one of the two central midfielders, whilst he was not prepared to drop Sigurdsson.
There is no question that the Barcelona midfielder is a wonderful talent, but Everton would need to play him just behind the striker to get the best out of him in this particular league.
The problem, though, is that Sigurdsson has managed 11 Premier League goals this season and it would be some call from Silva to drop the Iceland international.
What is the way forward for Everton?
It seems crazy that Everton should have a player of Gomes’ ability sitting on the bench.
He would have moved to Goodison Park with the promise of regular matches and it will be fascinating to see whether he makes the XI against Newcastle United this weekend.
If Silva can find a way of playing both Gomes and Sigurdsson as attacking midfielders that would be a start, but that would mean the latter switching to a wide area in a 4-2-3-1, which is not really the answer.
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Gomes is not aggressive enough to operate in a defensive two, but simply has to play a key role for the Merseyside club due to his quality in possession and ability to make things happen.
If Sigurdsson had not been a regular goalscorer this season then the decision would be straightforward.
Something has to change, though, and Gomes needs to be playing a main role in this Everton XI even if he cannot really be trusted in a deeper position.