Sunderland v Everton — Monday 3 November 2025, 8pm, Stadium of Light
Everton head to the Stadium of Light tonight needing more than just tidy passages of play. One win in seven has increased the pressure on David Moyes and, while standards have improved since his return to Merseyside last season, there is now one clear objective: turn structure into points. For a manager widely respected for calm decision-making, this is a night for him and his team to show flexibility and conviction.
Moyes has steadied the Everton ship before. Training levels are up, the group looks aligned, and there is a clearer identity within the side than was the case prior to the Scot’s return.
However, the Premier League is an unforgiving beast, and the Toffees aren’t exactly pulling up trees at present. The feeling among supporters and inside the club is that, while the fundamentals remain sound, there is a pressing need to make timely adjustments that lift tempo and remove predictability.
Options, not prescriptions
This is not a blueprint telling Moyes how to play; it is a set of credible options within the current squad that address recent problems without discarding what has worked.
Right-back
- James Garner should be considered as an option at right-back. He is not currently a fixture in the middle of the park, but picking him at on the right of defence against Sunderland would add composure in the first phase, accelerate switches of play and help Everton step beyond the first press without defaulting to long diagonals.
- Seamus Coleman remains a solid alternative late on in the game, as his experience and leadership could help calm nerves and get Everton over the line.
Left-back
- Adam Aznou could be considered on the left. That position has been a stress point, and the summer signing’s legs and balance may refresh a flank that has lacked both thrust and security of late.
- Vitalii Mykolenko could be rested on form and workload grounds, with the aim of rebalancing the back four rather than merely making a cosmetic change.
Centre-backs
- There is a case to remove one of Michael Keane or James Tarkowski – most plausibly Keane – and slide Jake O’Brien across. He could provide a touch more recovery pace to defend a few yards higher, compress the pitch, and protect transitions without being dragged into aerial exchanges – something Everton do not need.
Midfield
- A deeper pairing of Merlin Röhl and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall offers legs, press resistance and forward passing through central lanes. Röhl’s aggression and range complements Dewsbury-Hall’s ability to take and play under pressure.
- Tim Iroegbunam and Idrissa Gana Gueye provide strong options from the bench to change the temperature — either lock the middle to protect a lead or raise ball-winning intensity if the game drifts.
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- Carlos Alcaraz in between the lines can give Everton a cleaner first contact in transition, along with providing late penalty-area arrivals that the Toffees have lacked when matches become stretched.
Front line
- Jack Grealish, Beto and Iliman N’Diaye should be retained as the attacking nucleus. The detail is crucial: the service to Beto needs to echo last season’s best spells — balls played into space for him to attack, early passes on the floor or low angled releases — rather than a steady diet of high crosses that turn attacks into 50-50s. When Everton feed his movement, not just his frame, the entire front line looks sharper.
Faster ball, less wing-reliance
A hallmark of Moyes’ teams has been organised wing play and strong crossing zones. However, Everton’s poor current run suggests a need for tactical flexibility. The ball must move faster through the centre, with deliberate third-man combinations and vertical passes that draw opponents in before releasing wide — not the other way round by default. Central progression first; width used as a consequence, not a habit. That shift in emphasis should raise tempo, create cleaner entries into the final third and suit Beto’s timing.
Why these tweaks would suit Everton against Sunderland
- Territory & tempo: Considering Garner at right-back and O’Brien’s mobility allows a slightly higher line, while a Röhl–Dewsbury-Hall pivot shortens distances so Everton spend more phases in Sunderland’s half.
- Control without predictability: Playing through the middle reduces the need for early, hopeful crosses; Alcaraz provides a vertical option that isn’t a 50-50.
- In-game levers: Iroegbunam and Gana give Moyes different gears off the bench — they can secure control if ahead, or reinject intensity if the match becomes flat.
A night that carries weight amid intensifying pressure
Is Moyes under pressure? Yes — because Everton’s standards demand results. However, the work he has done still deserves recognition. The answers lie within this squad: a fresher balance at full-back, a quicker central rhythm, and service tailored to Beto’s strengths. Everton do not need reinvention; they need clarity and speed.
The importance of victory tonight cannot be overstated. A win would lift the mood, change the narrative, reward the underlying process and reaffirm that Moyes remains, above all, a problem-solver.
The platform is there. The options are clear. Now it’s about turning them into points.
