Sean Dyche faces a difficult decision when selecting his Everton starting team for Saturday’s Premier League match against Brentford.
The Toffees have lost four of their five Premier League games this season, with their sole point coming in a 2-2 draw with Sheffield United, and they are currently in the relegation zone.
That instantly signals that changes are required, and as Dyche prepares to select his team, he has some critical decisions in one area of the pitch in particular.
Everton have struggled at full-back in recent years, with Seamus Coleman out injured and Nathan Patterson, Vitalii Mykolenko, and Ashley Young all trying to reach their best form.
Ben Godfrey was an option at left-back at times last season and may be again if Dyche wants to shake things up, but natural choices are usually preferable in the long term than square pegs in round holes.
So, who are the best choices? Which of the three natural full-back combinations is the best?
Despite the tiny sample size, it’s Scotland international Patterson and Ukrainian Mykolenko, according to WhoScored this season.
Young and Patterson have each played five games, compared to Mykolenko’s one, but the numbers favor the 24-year-old.
His single outing to date was against Arsenal, when he made five tackles, one interception, three clearances, one block, and two dribbles. Young has averaged 1.8 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 1.8 clearances, and one dribble per game this season.
Young commits much less fouls per game, but Mykolenko’s running danger is obvious. Being naturally left-footed also helps, although Young’s stats are more spectacular going forward.
He’s averaged 1.4 crucial passes per game, 39.2 passes with a 71.4% success rate, and 2.2 crosses per game, compared to Mykolenko’s 0 key passes, 21 passes (all with the same success rate), and zero crosses.
Patterson has stronger offensive numbers than both players, as shown in the image below, and he’s also the only one with a goal contribution, demonstrating his ability to deliver in the final third.
The actual contest is at left-back, and while Young’s attacking percentages are higher, he has been absolutely ineffective against far less competition than Arsenal.
Brentford is obviously a difficult game, but Everton will believe that with a strong performance, a favorable result can be obtained.
If Dyche decides to start his two best full-backs, it will almost certainly boost the chances of taking all three points.
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