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Everton are beginning to get into a bit of rut with two defeats on the bounce and lacklustre displays in all departments, with defence a particular concern.
In their last Carabao Cup outing they had quite a lively affair in their visit to Lincoln, overcoming an early setback to put four past the Imps, with new signing Alex Iwobi particularly impressing and scoring from a header.
Sheffield Wednesday promise to be a sterner test however, and the ninth-placed Championship side are still unbeaten in two games under new manager Garry Monk, and have only conceded seven goals in eight league games.
As a result, it is not a game Marco Silva can take lightly, so here is the line-up he should start with.
The Toffees conceded five times against Bournemouth and Sheffield United, three of which came from set-pieces.
It is an area where Marco Silva must focus his attention, but something the defence will only get better at with more game time, and therefore he must choose consistency in his backline and start the same back five as normal.
Mason Holgate may feel aggrieved by his lack of game time and being left out will be another setback for him, but Silva must prioritise results over squad morale at this point, given the pressure he is under.
In that respect, Jordan Pickford has to start despite his recent mistakes. Some pundits have suggested he has been out of form for some time, but to drop him now could dent his confidence severely, and he and his defensive teammates need the faith of their manager if they are to improve as a defensive unit.
The same could be applied to the rest of the squad, with players like Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin underperforming somewhat this season, with one goal and one assist for the former, and a single goal in five games for Calvert-Lewin.
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Moise Kean, comparatively, has struggled to adjust to English football, with no goals in seven games and only 32 touches against Sheffield United, the first game in which he has played the full 90 minutes.
That excursion may have also affected his freshness for this midweek game, and the fresh legs of Calvert-Lewin, as well as his aerial prowess – with an average of 4.6 aerial duels won per game this season – could be better suited to the challenge of Sheffield Wednesday.
Finally, Tom Davies deserves a chance once again. Morgan Schneiderlin has been effective in retaining possession with a pass success rate of 89%, but he hasn’t added to Everton defensively and the Englishman has a point to prove, having been limited to 11 minutes so far.