Everton line-ups for Brighton after decisions about Lewis Dobbin and Amadou Onana…

Vitalii Mykolenko took a knock this week, but Sean Dyche downplayed the severity of it right away. I hope the left-back is fit for this game since Everton needs solidity at that position. This season, Mykolenko has made good improvement and has been a major contributor to Jarrad Branthwaite’s rise by offering consistency.

Like many others, I was taken aback by Monday’s selection, and I would alter it for Brighton. For me, Amadou Onana must come first. He is, in my opinion, one of the team’s few true game-changers, and his assurance and skill with the ball should encourage greater unity when Everton has the ball at the Amex. James Garner withdraws for the exact reason I recommended doing so last week: he must be worn out from being everywhere for months. One of the essential components of the Dyche machine, Abdoulaye Doucoure, survived his first game following an injury and has been playing well since his comeback.

Last season, Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin played a pivotal role in the deconstruction of Brighton on the south coast. Above all, I’m looking for evidence of their chemistry reigniting, as that’s the most likely source of the goals the Blues will need to stay competitive. While Doucoure gets up to speed, maybe he’ll rediscover match fitness to support the England striker as successfully as he has for the most of the past year. Calvert-Lewin, in my opinion, played well against Palace; he was simply alone again.

The crucial query is on the right side. If Seamus Coleman is well enough to play as the club captain, I would move Jack Harrison back to the flank. I’m shocked that Nathan Patterson, who looked good in this game last year, seems to be fourth choice today. Still, he could be a viable option if Coleman isn’t available.

My team (4-5-1): Calvert-Lewin; Harrison, Onana, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil; Pickford, Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko.

Chris Beesley-Amadou Onana is still sidelined.

Given that Everton only won two away Premier League games in each of the 2022–2023 and 2022–2023 seasons—half of which came at Brighton & Hove Albion—this is an odd fact.

Sixteen days separated the pair of Blues victories at the Amex Stadium, with Rafael Benitez’s team winning 2-0 on August 28, 2021, and Sean Dyche’s team winning convincingly 5-1 on May 8 of the previous year. The time between the trips to Sussex avoided Frank Lampard’s entire tenure; many believed that the Londoner, who was ultimately fired on January 21 after losing 2-0 to West Ham United, his first club, ought to have left after the Seagulls’ 4-1 victory at Goodison Park on January 3.

When the teams met again four months later, Everton recorded an amazing seven-goal swing under Dyche. It felt like something significant, something potentially game-changing, like the shifting of tectonic plates among those engaged in this dogfight, when I wrote it at the time.

As a result, even if I doubt the Blues manager would actually do it, I would pick a team that is as similar to the one that sparked an earthquake on what was a day of destiny for the struggling Premier League teams. This means that Nathan Patterson is brought back up to right back, while Amadou Onana stays on the bench following his inconsistent performance as a substitute against Crystal Palace.

Regarding the mandated substitutions from that day forward, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jack Harrison take the places of Yerry Mina and Alex Iwobi, who have both subsequently left the team.

Pickford; Patterson; Tarkowski; Branthwaite; Mykolenko; Harrison; Garner; Doucoure; Gueye; McNeil; Calvert-Lewin make up my team (4-5-1).

Paul Wheelock: It’s time to update it

Visiting the Amex Stadium evokes memories of that almost unbelievable 5-1 triumph. The Blues faced a win-or-bust situation at that time. Now that the shamefully long wait for the points deduction appeal has begun, it is difficult to gauge the significance of today’s meeting. Joe Thomas noted in his Royal Blue column that the Premier League’s performance is appalling and that there is a serious issue.

But in the end, Sean Dyche and his players are the only ones who can be held accountable for the manner in which they performed during Monday’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Goodison Park. Should the victory over Brighton be the pinnacle of Dyche’s Everton tenure, then the most recent lackluster matchup with Palace was perhaps his worst. That being said, if the independent panel does ultimately opt to lessen the severe punishment that was first imposed on the team, it might turn out to be a respectable outcome.

Still, it seems like the Blues require a change of direction. Seamus Coleman, the captain, replaces Ben Godfrey, who has shown in recent weeks that he can contribute to this team. James Garner, who needs a break, is replaced by Amadou Onana, who is fresh off a last-second equalizer against the Eagles.

Dwight McNeil very certainly qualifies for the same. The winger was outstanding in the matchup from the previous season, but I’ve been thinking for a while that he should play a few games without being in the starting lineup. But you can understand why Dyche keeps going with McNeil, especially considering his set-piece ability, which was demonstrated once more on Monday when Onana scored from his deep corner.

However, as I previously stated, this is a team in need of fresh blood, therefore Lewis Dobbin, making only his second league start for the first team, is my last alteration.

My team (4-5-1): Calvert-Lewin; Harrison, Onana, Doucoure, Gueye, Dobbin; Pickford, Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko.