OPINION
Everton might have had an unbeaten start to their season but that is not to say it has been easy going for the Toffees, with injuries and suspensions twisting Marco Silva’s arm to making changes week in, week out.
First it was Phil Jagielka’s sending off on the opening day of the season, and now Brazilian Richarlison is set for a spell on the sidelines after being dismissed against Bournemouth on Saturday, with things being made no easier thanks to Michael Keane’s fracture of the skull suffered against the Cherries.
Up next for the Toffees is Rotherham in the League Cup – a perfect opportunity to blood some new faces in and rotate options – especially for those rarely seen in the starting XI.
As such, Silva must be making eight changes to his line up, bringing in a quartet who are not a regular feature seen by the Toffees faithful in the shape of Maarten Stekelenburg, Jonjoe Kenny, Kieran Dowell, Ademola Lookman.
The other four to come in should be Kurt Zouma, Lucas Digne, Bernard and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Stekelenburg should give Jordan Pickford a break in between the sticks, keeping him fresh for future games, while Mason Holgate should be the only remaining member of a backline who were troubled by Bournemouth over the weekend – Zouma being handed his first start.
A midfield trio of Idrissa Gueye, Tom Davies and Dowell, the latter an unused substitute against the Cherries, should sit behind an all-changed forward line.
Lookman, heavily tipped with a move away, should be given the chance to prove his worth at Goodison Park in place of Theo Walcott, while Calvert-Lewin and Bernard should take Cenk Tosun and Richarlison’s place in the XI in a bid to improve their fitness levels.
Silva should not take Rotherham lightly, but at the same time he should not risk his star men to injury or suspension – and this is the best XI he could put out.