How can Lampard accommodate Alli and Van de Beek in Everton XI?
It's been a... topsy-turvy season for Everton so far. They sat two points off top spot after the opening seven games and headed into the October international break with the wind in their sails. Granted, the football on show wasn't pretty, but it was effective.
Yet, things at Goodison Park started to unravel following the return to domestic duties. In the 13 games since, the Toffees have earned just five points. Having been two points off top earlier in the season, they head into February just four points clear of the relegation zone with Rafa Benitez relieved of his duties earlier this month.
Frank Lampard has come in as his replacement, despite Vitor Pereira intially emerging as the frontrunner to succeed Benitez, and deadline day is proving a hectic one for the Toffees, as has the transfer window as a whole. Vitalii Mykolenko joined from Dynamo Kyiv shortly after the country rung in 2022 as a replacement for Lucas Digne, who departed for Aston Villa, while Nathan Patterson has followed suit, arriving from Rangers. Digne's move to Villa Park saw Anwar El Ghazi move in the opposite direction.
Deadline day has seen Donny van de Beek join from Manchester United and Dele Alli expected to arrive from Tottenham as Everton go through something of a revamp in the final hours of the window. The appointment of Lampard is certainly a pull for the new arrivals, who will be working under one of the Premier League's finest every midfielders and the hope now is that Van de Beek benefits from regular game time and Alli enjoys a change in scenary to get his career back on track.
When he arrived from Ajax, there was plenty of optimism surrounding Donny van de Beek. Manchester United were well stocked with midfielders, but Van de Beek joined with a huge reputation, with Real Madrid also monitoring the Dutchman. However, in his debut season, the 24-year-old started just four league games and registered a pitiful 515 minutes of Premier League action.
His second season in Manchester hasn't gone according to plan either. All eight of Van de Beek's appearances have come from the bench and 69 minutes of league action doesn't make for great reading. However, his skill set is similar to that of Lampard during his playing days and it could prove that a decent run of game time, under a manager that clearly values his impact, aids Van de Beek.
He was never really trusted by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, nor Ralf Rangnick, so a fresh start at a new team could really see him return to the best form that saw him attract interest from Real Madrid and United in the first place.
That Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has scored as many Premier League goals as Dele Alli since the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season speaks volumes. Alli was used regularly in the opening weeks of the season, but lost his spot in the Tottenham first team following their 3-1 North London Derby defeat in September.
Since then, Alli has started just two league games, the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in part due to absences in the Spurs squad. Since breaking onto the scene in 2015 and taking the Premier League by storm for three successive seasons, Alli has regressed, bar a minor resurgence once Jose Mourinho succeeded Mauricio Pochettino in north London in November 2019.
With the freedom that may come from playing in a 4-3-3 system that Lampard used frequently during his time as Chelsea boss, Alli could rediscover his goalscoring touch once more. What was clear was that he needed a move away from north London this month, but it's a sad end to his time at a club that he initially excelled with.
The 25-year-old was hugely effective in the number 10 role during the best years of Spurs' time with Pochettino in charge and he'll be hoping to get back to his best in the coming weeks and months under the watchful eye of Lampard.
Can Lampard fit both into the side?
If Everton have anything in abundance, it is central midfielders. So to add both Van de Beek and Alli to the squad presents Lampard with a selection conundrum. When it became clear that the former was favouring a move to Everton, it marked a coup for the Toffees, but the decision to - hopefully - bring in the latter means Lampard will, in effect, have two similar central midfielders at his disposal.
Squad depth is no bad thing, yet Everton have just the FA Cup - they face Brentford with a spot in the fifth round up for grabs this weekend - and the league to focus on and the immediate goal for Lampard is to pull away from the bottom three to set a foundation to build upon next season. So how does he fit both Van de Beek and Alli into the XI considering their similarities?
If, as expected, Lampard reverts to a 4-3-3 setup, then he'll need a midfield anchor. Abdoulaye Doucoure has been a key man for the Toffees this term, while Fabian Delph, Tom Davies, Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin are also vying for starting spots. It's likely that both Van de Beek and Alli will start, and the best system would perhaps be a 4-2-3-1 with Doucoure or Allan alongside Van de Beek at the base and Alli in a more advanced role alongside Richarlison and Demarai Gray.
Van de Beek is not one to shirk the physical side to his game, noted in that he has averaged 3.5 tackles per 90 in the Champions League this season, made 2.6 per 90 in the Premier League last season and 2.2 in his final season with Ajax. The latter is perhaps the most important. Ajax dominated opponents in 2019/20, Van de Beek's last with Ajax, at least up until the cancellation of the campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With Ajax that season, he operated as one of the three in a 4-3-3, or at times, as one of the holding two in a 4-2-3-1. He can clearly play the role, but in a system that dominates opponents. Everton won't do this.
Of course, it may prove that Alli doesn't make the move to Goodison Park, with Newcastle believed to be making a late play for the Spurs man despite the north London side and their Merseyside counterparts agreeing a deal for the England international. Yet there is evidently a way that Lampard can incorporate Van de Beek and Alli into his side, but it would require something of an overhaul on Everton's style this season.
They rank third bottom for possession (40.5%) and fourth bottom for pass success rate (73.5%) in the Premier League this term, so trusting Van de Beek in such a system that would require the Netherlands international to remain positionally disciplined and shield the defence is a risk. That said, Lampard is likely to play both new central midfielders at his disposal, provided a deal for Alli is completed, and if the former Chelsea man uses a setup that would ensure Everton see more of the ball, then it's one that might just work.
