There was a ton of praise online for the performance of midfield duo Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo last night, partnered up while Enzo Fernandez was rested.
Caicedo in particular looked totally freed up by the presence of Gallagher alongside him.
The Ecuador star, signed for £115m last summer, has struggled to find his feet since the big money move from Brighton. That’s partly down to him, partly down to the struggles of those around him, and partly down to a team shape that doesn’t help him out.
At times the attack and defence appear totally separated, with poor Caicedo trying to cover spaces that are simply too big even for a player of his considerable physical talents. Gallagher had a brilliant game too, dominating duels in a deeper role than he’s been used to this season.
Most fans watching the game would agree that this pair worked really well together – although Everton did make it very easy for them. We would be very interested to see more of the combination however, especially this weekend against Man City.
Short memories
However we can all remember the extensive complaints earlier this year when Mauricio Pochettino decided to use Enzo almost as a second striker. It’s quite ironic there are now calls for a Gallagher-Caicedo partnership in the middle, when just 6 months ago a Caicedo-Enzo double act was seen as essential.
The three of them should be a perfect combination, in terms of skillset at least. It just needs the right setup to make it work. We wonder if the success last night will convince Pochettino that he should try something new?
A lot will depend on Enzo’s fitness too – his hernia has really been holding him back, although it’s hard to imagine him being left out if he’s fit for the semi final