Everton

Silva must be bold amid City crisis

|
Image for Silva must be bold amid City crisis

OPINION

Few will give Everton a chance as they travel to Premier League leaders Manchester City this weekend, but manager Marco Silva must be bold if he wants to secure a result.

The Toffees will hold the advantage of rest over their opponents, with City set to face Hoffenheim in their final Champions League group game on Wednesday night.

Everton by contrast will be working hard in training and preparing solely for their visit to the Etihad, while City will have their minds on that European clash first.

This meeting also comes at a good time for Everton with regards to City’s last result, a 2-0 defeat by Chelsea which ended their unbeaten run and saw them toppled from the summit by Liverpool.

Obviously they are likely to win against Hoffenheim and regather some momentum, but City will still be reeling from that result when Saturday rolls around and the Toffees can hopefully take advantage of that.

The biggest boost for Everton however is City’s growing injury list, with Guardiola confirming on Tuesday that big guns David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne are all still unavailable.

Guardiola claimed that Aguero may be fit for the weekend, but it is surely unlikely he will be risked considering his constant injury problems, with City needing him to avoid any more setbacks ahead of the hectic Christmas schedule.

These three problems for City – a lack of rest, a lack of momentum, and a lack of personnel – will all play into Everton’s hands, and that is why Silva simply must go for broke at the Etihad in search of a win.

There is unlikely to be a better time for Everton to secure a famous win in the champions’ backyard, and Silva will hopefully realise that himself ahead of Saturday’s encounter.

Share this article