£55k-a-week player must be binned: Three things learned about Everton in loss v Watford
COMMENT
Everton slipped closer to the bottom half of the Premier League table with a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday evening. Troy Deeney netted a 79th minute winner to help the Hornets ease any concerns about potentially being dragged into a relegation dog fight. It was a rather dull affair at Vicarage Road with neither side really grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. Sam Allardyce's Everton offered little to nothing throughout the 90 minutes as they only managed to test Watford goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis with two shots on target. One of the moments of the game came in the dying seconds when Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford went forward to attack a corner kick to cause chaos among the home side's defence. However Javi Gracia's side managed to hang on to the narrow victory to move them up to 10th place in the table, just one point behind the Toffees who sit ninth with 34 points after 28 games played. Here,
Football Insider
looks at three things we learned about Everton in their defeat.
Click 'reveal' below to read about who is being played in the wrong position
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SIGURDSSON INEFFECTIVE ON WING
Gylfi Sigurdsson featured on the left wing once more for Everton on Saturday, but Allardyce needs to try and ensure the Icelandic star has more of a central role in the future. The 28-year-old seems to have much more of a grasp on games when he is allowed to play in the No 10 role and he simply does not have the pace to be an out-and-out winger. Sigurdsson cost a lot of money in the summer so it is paramount that he is deployed correctly.
Click 'next page' below to read about two positions which Allardyce needs to strengthen
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NEW FULL-BACKS ARE NEEDED
It was baffling when Ronald Koeman decided to sign Cuco Martina in the summer when he had so much cash at his disposal. It's even more strange to think that he was brought in as a right-back, but ever since November, he has been Everton's number one choice left-back with Leighton Baines' long-term injury. Allardyce simply must revamp his full-back options, both on the left and right, in the summer transfer window. Martina, while not at his worst against Watford, has shown time and time again that he is severely lacking in any quality that the Toffees need.
Click 'next page' below to read about which first team player must be binned in the summer
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NIASSE MUST BE BINNED IN THE SUMMER
Oumar Niasse really had a game to forget against Watford. The 27-year-old centre-forward seemed unable to keep the ball and was rightly taken off by Allardyce in the 57th minute to be replaced by Cenk Tosun. The Senegal international,
, failed to win a single aerial duel and did not even manage to put a shot on goal. Niasse is a trier. No one expected him to be getting this much football for Everton this season. However he is nowhere near the quality that a team with the Blues' ambition should have and the striker must be binned in the summer transfer window. In other Everton news,
.