Not just O'Brien: Moyes is wasting Everton star in his current position
Everton have now gone three games without a win in the Premier League, but they have eight points after six matches and sit ninth in the standings.
The corresponding point from the 2024/25 campaign? The Toffees had four points on the board, having woefully lost four straight to kick off the term under Sean Dyche’s wing.
The draw against West Ham United on Monday night was probably a fair reflection of the fixture contested. The hosts started on the front foot and were well worth their money when Michael Keane rose and powered home from James Garner’s swept cross.
But Everton let the game get away with them, and United were playing with a new sense of iron about their will, having dismissed Graham Potter days before and replaced him with Nuno Espirito Santo.
Still, not everyone in blue covered themselves in glory. Beto toiled at number nine once again, but Jake O’Brien was also culpable for a poor performance at right-back.
Jake O'Brien raises questions
Everton signed O’Brien from Lyon for just over £16m in July 2024. Formerly of Crystal Palace’s academy system, the Republic of Ireland international had been hailed by journalist Zach Lowy as a “revelation in defence” for the French side, before completing his switch.
Last season, he struggled to break his way into the team before Moyes’ appointment, but thereafter, he played consistently from the outset at right-back, starting 17 times across the second half of the season.
So far this term, he has played every minute of the Hill Dickinson Stadium side’s Premier League campaign, though the recent draw to West Ham ended up shining a light on the need for a natural right-sided defender, one who can defend and attack with equal sharpness.
The Liverpool Echo handed the 6 foot 6 Toffee a 5/10 match rating after a performance that left plenty to be desired, while former Everton writer Adam Jones criticised the deployment, saying, “O’Brien at right-back just does not work in the long term.”
Minutes played
90′
Touches
61
Accurate passes
27/33 (82%)
Key passes
0
Possession lost
11x
Dribbles
0/0
Tackles
2
Clearances
7
Ground duels
3/6
Aerial duels
3/6
Dribbled past
2x
Errors made
1x
The Irishman is industrious and has been a shrewd signing for the Merseysiders, but it does beg the question as to why a high-level right-back was not signed this summer, with Ashley Young gone and Nathan Patterson unable to shake persistent injury problems.
Moreover, Everton have signed Jack Grealish on loan, and while the silky playmaker is flourishing on Merseyside, it has shifted Iliman Ndiaye out onto the right flank.
Everton's Iliman Ndiaye problem
When Everton welcomed Grealish to the pack, Moyes would have known that this would limit Ndiaye’s playing time from his favoured left flank.
Last season, the Senegalese winger was Everton’s most potent threat, finishing the campaign as their top scorer with 11 goals across all competitions.
Hailed by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp for his “dynamite” qualities on the ball, the 25-year-old also ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe for successful take-ons and the top 8% for tackles won per 90, data courtesy of FBref.
Four of his Premier League goals with the Blues have been struck with his left foot, but Ndiaye is clearly more comfortable arcing into space to unleash with his right, having only featured twice as a right winger across the entirety of the 2024/25 season.
Could it be said that he is being wasted in this new role? It perhaps bears testament to Ndiaye’s remarkable skill that he has hardly fallen by the wayside in this new role, but the sense that he would be performing at a higher level in his previous role cannot be shaken at this moment.
The player’s speed and athleticism lend themselves to joy across the frontline; and indeed, Ndiaye has played all around the park, though Moyes has been the principal architect of his new home in unfamiliar territory.
Grealish, too, operates at his best in a left-sided midfield zone, but Moyes will be aware that both of his mavericks can play in a centralised attacking position, and maybe that’s food for thought, especially if Tyler Dibling makes the necessary developments over the next few weeks and months and nails down a prominent role at Everton.
Attacking midfield
51
15 (5)
Centre-forward
49
10 (12)
Left winger
41
10 (1)
Right winger
14
3 (2)
But this does loop back to O’Brien. Is the hulking defender the option on the right side of the defence? Does he provide the requisite creative support?
Ndiaye’s defensive focus has been sharpened since joining Everton from Marseille for £15m just over one year ago. However, he in turn needs help from the full-back behind him.
Given that Beto and Thierno Barry are struggling at number nine right now, and Ndiaye is Everton’s deadliest goal threat, there’s a chance that Moyes opts to field him as a centre-forward at some stage. In any case, appeasing the star is crucial if the club hope to stay competitive.
Ndiaye might have received a bit of criticism in recent weeks, but he’s still been dangerous across the opening weeks of the campaign, scoring two goals and assisting another.
But if Grealish becomes a permanent fixture on Merseyside, and Ndiaye is told that he will play off the right with regularity, a few more tweaks might be needed in the transfer market to achieve the kind of balance that will propel Everton into the ascendancy.
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