Everton at Manchester United: 3 Things To Watch For

It has not been a good week to watch Everton. Really the entire season has been a little rough, but losing by some lopsided scores over the past week has made it really suck.

The good news for everyone is we get an opportunity to get beaten down even more on Sunday! Feel the excitement, the energy, and the sinking feeling of despair as Everton likely loses to Manchester United. But even with what seems like certain doom confronting Everton, there are some things to keep an eye on in this one.

Will there be tactical competency?

The last two games are not ones that Ronald Koeman will be putting into his “Best Of” folder for tactics. Everton have been a mess tactically with central midfielders playing out wide, no outlets for defenders to move the ball upfield, and no real way to generate goals. Last year Lukaku provided an outlet regardless of the formation, this year more work is required.

Koeman has trotted out the same formation the past two matches with similar results. It is one thing to get blasted by Spurs because of their speed, but to have it happen on Thursday was disconcerting. If we see the exact same formation and a similar lineup on Sunday it is just pure incompetence. That’s the type of incompetence that gets you relegated and deserves a firing.

Does Everton have a way to stop Lukaku?

Romelu Lukaku is a beast. Everton fans know his strengths and his weaknesses. Even when he seems to be out of a game a long ball can give him the chance to score. Now Everton has to actually defend against that, a little bit harder than watching him do it to other teams.

Frankly the mess this defence has had the past few games shouldn’t give anyone confidence. But Everton should be able to stop just the Belgian. The problem is that stopping Lukaku likely means someone else on this Manchester United team is free. That’s a little scary given how deep their lineup is and how many weapons they possess, even without Paul Pogba.

Can Everton generate any shots?

LOL NOPE! Just watch this one without expecting anything. That way you’ll be pleasantly surprised at any sort of non-loss result, and not too upset with a loss.