Our Everton jury have returned to have their say on what is going at Goodison Park

Everton return to Premier League action on Monday night when they take on Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

The Blues were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City last time out, with Erling Haaland scoring twice during the second-half. The defeat left Sean Dyche’s side inside the relegation zone.

Off the pitch, US investment firm 777 Partners is also still awaiting word from the Premier League on its proposed takeover. And with everything in mind, our Everton jury are back to have their say on matters on and off the pitch.

Last Saturday turned out the way most Blues had expected against Manchester City.

The side defended resolutely, but when Erland Haaland scored after 70 minutes, there was only going to be one outcome. And that was never going to be an Everton fightback!

Fortunately, defeats for Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace last weekend meant the loss at the Etihad did not allow our closest relegation rivals to gain an advantage.

Although Everton were well organised and defensively disciplined, they never looked like grabbing a goal. This is proving to be a major problem for Sean Dyche. His default strategy is to contain the opposition, but if they score first, we are always going to struggle to respond.

The Toffees have amassed a paltry six goals in the last ten games, and we have a striker who has not found the net in 18 appearances and looks no nearer to ending that sequence.

One can have some sympathy for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who often finds himself isolated up front without any support.

Those days when Carlo Ancelotti told him to stay in the penalty area and wait for precision crosses from Lucas Digne and passes from James Rodriguez to arrive seem like a lifetime ago. But how much longer can Dyche persist with a misfiring striker?

The lack of a creative spark has plagued Everton throughout the campaign. A team of well-drilled drones can keep you in the game, but you need some ingenuity and inventiveness to win matches. How can a more attacking style be implemented that allows players to express themselves more?

Everton have not won any of their last seven Premier League matches, taking an underwhelming three points in the process. For the Crystal Palace clash, the manager simply must be bolder with his team’s tactics and selection.

Draws at home against sides around the drop zone will not suffice anymore, especially if any of the teams fighting for survival win at the weekend. The return of Abdoulaye Doucoure would help immensely, but we need a Plan B if he is not playing.

Should any or all of Youssef Chermiti, Arnaut Danjuma or Lewis Dobbin start? We are so desperate for goals, I would even consider playing Michael Keane upfront!

We need to be adventurous against Crystal Palace and conjure some magical moments of flair and inspiration to ignite the crowd and produce the win and goals we so desperately need. It is time for a display at Goodison Park that will send Evertonians home, purring in delight.

Luke Davies – Everton must take advantage

Manchester City away was always going to be a gargantuan task for the Blues – and it proved to be exactly that.

However, despite the 2-0 scoreline, there were plenty of positives to take. First, Everton limited the Champions to few opportunities with a resolute show of defence and rigid shape.

Unfortunately, the hard work was undone by a powerful finish from Erling Haaland, who then doubled his tally thanks to Kevin de Bruyne’s vision, which unlocked an otherwise solid Everton defence. Everton arguably deserved a point out of the game, but it wasn’t to be at the Etihad.

There’s not much else to unpack from the performance, as chances were sparse apart from the odd half-chance. Maybe Jack Harrison could’ve done better when he tried his luck in the first half.

Moving onto Crystal Palace, this is a huge game in Everton’s fight for Premier League survival. Palace are expected to be without Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Marc Guehi when they visit Goodison Park next Monday. The visitors are a team lacking confidence and enthusiasm. Everton must take advantage and will be bolstered by the likely return of Abdoulaye Doucoure, who will continue to be assessed.

In terms of selection, if he’s fit, Doucoure slots back into the 10-role, allowing Jack Harrison to return to the right wing with Dwight McNeil on the opposite flank. In such a vital game, I would opt for Amadou Onana in place of Idrissa Gana Gueye solely for his attacking prowess and progressiveness next to James Garner.

The defence was more than capable against Manchester City, so an unchanged back four may be expected. It cannot be stressed enough how big this game is; after seeing Palace dismantled by Chelsea, it should breathe confidence into the Everton dressing room.

Alex McMonnies – It was a game that didn’t throw up any surprises

As we all anxiously await the outcome of the appeal against the ten-point deduction, let’s take a brief moment to reflect on Saturday’s match away at Manchester City.

It was a game that didn’t throw up any surprises, besides perhaps just how difficult Everton made it for the hosts at times. In the first half, Pep Guardiola’s side took more shots without hitting the target in a first half than they had since November 2019, and it took the irrepressible Erling Haaland to finally break the deadlock after 71 minutes. The Norwegian then went on to double his tally and seal the win five minutes from time, making Jarrad Branthwaite look uncharacteristically wobbly in the process.