Sean Dyche sent clear Ashley Young message as three major Everton questions emerge

Our Everton fans’ jury are back as they give their opinions on the upcoming Premier League game against Aston Vila

Everton return to Premier League action this weekend when they take on Aston Villa. The game at Villa Park is the first time the Blues have been in action since the collapse against Bournemouth before the international break.

On that afternoon at Goodison Park, Sean Dyche‘s side led 2-0 thanks to goals from Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. However, a collapse in the final nine minutes of the game saw the visitors claim a 3-2 victory.

The Blues head to the Midlands bottom of the table, but a victory against Unai Emery’s side and results elsewhere going their way could see them move out of the bottom three. And with the weekend’s game in mind, our Everton jury have returned to have their say.

Back in the 1980s, Villa Park was a happy hunting ground for the Blues, where they won three FA Cup semi-finals. Sadly, our recent record is rather less impressive; we have not tasted victory in our last five league visits there, and last season fell to a crushing 4-0 defeat.

When Aston Villa returned to the Premier League for the 2019/20 campaign, they finished in 17th place, 14 points behind Everton, who were 12th. Since then, the reversal in their respective fortunes has been dramatic. Villa have qualified for Europe in two successive seasons, while Everton have spent those campaigns fighting against relegation.

Such a comparison only serves to demonstrate the ineptitude of the Farhad Moshiri reign compared to a club who have the right leadership and who can, with the offer of Champions League football, attract top-class quality players. Not so long ago, Aston Villa fans may have cast envious glances at Everton. Those days have long gone, but Villa have shown what a club with the right long-term strategy can achieve. Surely that is a lesson for Everton to learn.

The international break came at the right time after the disastrous collapse against Bournemouth. Let’s hope that Sean Dyche has learnt from that defeat, especially the benefits of using substitutes when tired players need replacing.

Everton have leaked 10 goals in three league games, so sorting the defence out has to be a priority. A boring 0-0 draw here would be an acceptable outcome. Jake O’Brien should replace Michael Keane in the back four, and under no circumstances can Ashley Young be allowed to start at right back and be exposed by Villa’s fast counterattacking forwards. Roman Dixon must be given a chance, and James Garner needs to play in midfield if he is fit.

Will Jesper Lindstrom be given an opportunity? And what about Orel Mangala on the bench? Why do we sign talented footballers who have proved themselves in European Leagues and not start them?

These are troubling times at Goodison; the fans have turned on the players, and the manager has made some curious comments about supporters in post-match interviews. The unity that was a strength last season already seems to have dissipated. It is vital for Everton to be competitive at Villa Park and stay in the game for as long as possible. A battling performance would give supporters some encouragement. And for them to see that Dyche is prepared to make effective changes from the bench would also be a step forward.

Another defeat on Saturday would see Everton bottom and pointless after four games, adding immense pressure to the trip to Leicester City. This is not a situation that many Blues expected at the start of the campaign.

Everton have not won an away league game since their 2-0 victory at Burnley on December 16. Unless we can start picking up points on the road soon, then another campaign fighting against relegation looms. The Old Lady deserves better for her final season. And so do the fans!

Luke Davies – A well-needed break

A loss to Bournemouth before an international break with a manager under pressure; we have been there before. However, as much as Sean Dyche’s substitutions were odd, any players deemed good enough to pay for Everton should be able to defend a two-goal lead.

With the international break came a period for the manager to access his options, which were further bolstered by Armando Broja and Orel Mangala; both youngsters are unproven but have massive potential to get fans on the edge of their seats at Goodison Park.

Saturday provides a tough trip to Villa Park, notably facing Amadou Onana, who has taken to life in Birmingham like a duck to water with two goals in three appearances in the Midlands; to add context, he scored just three in the Premier League while at Everton. Better players? Yes. Better system? Most definitely.

There’s no hiding from the fact Everton’s record at Villa Park is dismal aside from the Carabao Cup match last season. Being realistic, a draw would be a great result if we already had points on the board. However, somehow we don’t. Regarding selection, it’s hard to see huge changes; Ashley Young could come in for the injured Seamus Coleman, although I can’t see any huge changes elsewhere in the XI.

One man who fills me with hope during this difficult period is Iliman Ndiaye; in many ways, he is a throwback who excites the fans when on the ball – something Evertonians haven’t felt for a long time. So, tactics for the weekend: give the ball to N’Diaye and hope for the best.

Hopefully, the Blues surprise us with a shock victory, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Alex McMonnies – This season was always going to be another one full of peaks and troughs

After a two-week break, Everton will return to Premier League action on Saturday evening, with a daunting trip to Birmingham to face Aston Villa.

There is a real buzz around the West Midlands outfit at the moment, as they have started the season in fine fettle and are looking forward to kicking off their first elite-level European campaign for more than 40 years just three days after they host Everton. Due to this fact, there is a slim possibility that both their players and fans will have one eye on that clash with Young Boys on Tuesday, and Sean Dyche’s side will be able to exploit their distractions as a result.

This scenario is probably the best chance the Toffees have of securing any sort of result at Villa Park, a ground that has been severely unkind to them down the years. On top of that, the mood is not good around this part of Merseyside, with the Blues still licking their wounds after a monumental collapse against Bournemouth in their final match prior to the international break.

It was one of the biggest setbacks that Dyche has suffered in his almost two years in charge, but the man is someone who seems to thrive when his back is against the wall. Let’s not forget that just nine days after his side were thumped 6-0 at Stamford Bridge at the back end of last season, he was masterminding the club’s first Merseyside derby victory at Goodison Park in over 13 years. Or the time that a heavy 4-1 defeat against Newcastle in April 2023 looked to have all but consigned the Toffees to relegation before the Blues completed the most unlikely of demolition jobs at high-flying Brighton less than two weeks later.

This season was always going to be another one full of peaks and troughs, and just like last season, it’s not been the start to the campaign we all wanted. But as is often the case, the performance levels haven’t warranted three defeats, and as the manager always says, these things even themselves out over the course of a 38-game season.

Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t expect us to get anything at all away at Villa, nor do I really think we should be expecting to. There are much more winnable games coming up after this one, and a respectable performance in which we don’t roll over against Unai Emery’s team would be enough for me. However, as Dyche has shown in his time as Everton manager, he is capable of pulling off an unexpected victory here and there.