OPINION
Everton slumped to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday, and it is safe to say that there were plenty of talking points to take away from the game.
A brace from Gabriel Jesus and a goal from Raheem Sterling secured all three points for City in this clash at the Etihad, with a strike from Dominic Calvert-Lewin proving to be a mere consolation for the visitors.
The Toffees have now failed to win in their last three matches and this result now means that they slip to eighth in the Premier League table, and Marco Silva will no doubt have learnt a number of things about his team after this loss.
This is Futbol has rounded up the three things we learnt about Everton’s loss to Manchester City below:
Calvert-Lewin stood out like a sore thumb
Dominic Calvert-Lewin made the starting XI for this match and he was arguably one of the positives that Silva could take away from this result. He netted in the 65th minute to change the scoreline to 2-1 and give his team a better chance of finding their way back into the game, but unfortunately, they were not able to capitalise on that. Based on this display, Silva must instate the 21-year-old as a regular starter in the first team as it is clear that the attack is far more effective with the young ace playing up front.
Mina was a liability and must be axed
When playing a team with the quality that Manchester City have, the last thing they need is to be gifted chances through some sloppy play. However, that was just the case with Yerry Mina. His misplaced pass allowed Ilkay Gundogan to find Leroy Sane in acres of space, which resulted in Jesus slotting home with a low strike. Mina – who cost Everton £27.2m [Sky Sports] – must be ruthlessly axed for their next clash with Tottenham. They cannot afford for him to making such crucial mistakes, especially in the matches against teams in the top-six of the Premier League, as it is clear that he is just an accident waiting to happen.
Everton were exposed on the right flank
Silva opted for a back three in this match, which would have meant that the flanks would have been given more freedom. However, this did not seem to be the case – especially on the right. Seamus Coleman was regularly exposed and had a nightmare dealing with the runs from Jesus and Sane all afternoon. Yes, Everton were facing a team of world-class attacking talent, but it is seriously worrying how they were so exposed. Silva needs to address this problem – and fast.