OPINION
Everton manager Marco Silva will be looking to get his first win in front of a home crowd when his side welcome Southampton to Goodison Park this weekend – and to get the points, he has to axe three of his starting XI.
The Toffees kicked off their campaign with a 2-2 draw away at Wolves, new signing Richarlison netting a brace to seal a point at Molineux despite being down to 10 men for much of the game, courtesy of Phil Jagielka’s red card.
It means there is at least one change necessary against the Saints, but Silva has to drop another two if he wants to give his side the best chance of winning.
As well as Jagielka, the Portuguese boss needs to swing a shock axe on fellow centre back Michael Keane and left back Leighton Baines, with new signings Yerry Mina, Kurt Zouma and Lucas Digne taking their places.
Up front there is no need to change – the likes of Theo Walcott and Cenk Tosun played perfectly well despite Richarlison stealing the limelight.
In midfield, Idrissa Gueye and Morgan Schneiderlin offer a resolute defensive barrier to their back line, as well as offering the ability to get the ball forward to more creative minds when necessary.
Their ball winning abilities could come in crucial, for it is time for Silva to throw his new men in at the deep end with starts for Digne, who came off the bench against Wolves, Zouma and Mina, the pair yet to feature for their new club, meaning Keane is a shock absentee from the XI.
The new boys should be fully prepared, with Zouma having been in pre-season with Chelsea and Mina playing at the World Cup, and considering the former Barcelona man arrived from Spain with Digne, there should be an understanding of sorts already.
The centre back duo are expected to be the first choice for the season to come and they need to get used to playing with one another, and what better way than to give them game time from the off.