Everton Round-Up, Monday 26th October: Moyes Faces Selection Dilemmas as Blues Regroup After Arsenal Defeat
It's been a reflective Monday around Goodison way, with much of the talk still centred on Saturday's trip to the Emirates, where Everton couldn't find a way past champions Arsenal. The Liverpool Echo noted that the Blues created very little in the game, though that certainly wasn't down to a lack of effort from young Harrison Armstrong, who was praised for a tireless display as the youngest man on the pitch (Liverpool Echo). Read Everton rounded up the general mood, with attention split between the Arsenal fallout and questions over David Moyes, plus the first bits of build-up to Thursday's cup tie (Read Everton).
The defeat means Everton have now lost back-to-back Premier League matches 2-0, against both Chelsea and Arsenal, and the Echo points out that has seen them slip from fifth all the way down to 11th in the table. The piece argues there are three things the Blues must get right to avoid being dragged into trouble (Liverpool Echo). ToffeeWeb struck a similar tone, suggesting that rather than chasing what others are doing, now is the time for Moyes to get Everton playing to their own strengths, pointing to Bournemouth's eye-catching win at Old Trafford as the kind of result Evertonians can currently only dream of, despite the Blues' own win at Man United last season (ToffeeWeb). Read Everton also carried a piece arguing the club "cannot be content simply to exist", with the suggestion that something more fundamental needs to change beyond just results (Read Everton), while a separate Read Everton column featuring journalist Ian Croll made the case that Everton's issues run deeper than simply a debate over Moyes' position (Read Everton).
Thursday night brings Newcastle United to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Carabao Cup fourth round, and there's plenty to think about before then. Read Everton detail how to watch the tie on TV and via live stream as the Blues look to bounce back from those successive league defeats (Read Everton). Team selection looks tricky, with the Echo reporting Moyes is sweating on the fitness of three unfit stars as he weighs up changes to his starting line-up (Liverpool Echo), while Read Everton add that the Blues already went to Arsenal without Jarrad Branthwaite and Jack Grealish, adding further selection headaches for the cup clash (Read Everton). Former player Michael Ball, writing for the Echo, said he liked what he saw from a couple of Everton's fringe players and feels the Newcastle tie is the perfect opportunity to give them more game time (Liverpool Echo). Elsewhere, Royal Blue Mersey's daily round-up touched on Moyes' reaction to the Arsenal game, a reported link with Marcus Rashford, and news that a promising young goalkeeper has left the club on loan (Royal Blue Mersey). On the men's recruitment front, ToffeeWeb argued Everton shouldn't expect to simply unearth a readymade 20-goal-a-season striker as a quick fix to their goalscoring issues (ToffeeWeb), while EvertonFC.com's own coverage saw Röhl discussing a right-back target as well as the club's hopes in the cup competitions (EvertonFC.com).
Away from team matters, Moyes was guest of honour at the Football Writers' Association Northern Managers' Awards Dinner, where he discussed his future at the club and, on a new contract, admitted "I hope" (Liverpool Echo). ToffeeWeb also published a detailed look at the numbers behind TFG's decision to sell Everton Football Club, aiming to answer several lingering questions about the deal (ToffeeWeb).
In the women's game, Everton Women's unbeaten home record at Goodison Park came to an end as Aston Villa claimed a 2-3 win, with Royal Blue Mersey reporting that another slow start from the home side proved costly, with Noelle Maritz among the visitors' scorers (Royal Blue Mersey). And down at Under-21 level, EvertonFC.com have published details on how to watch the young Blues take on Shrewsbury (EvertonFC.com).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.