Everton vs. Swansea: Key Issues and Decisions That Will Shape EPL Game
Everton host Swansea City in the Premier League on Saturday as Roberto Martinez locks horns with one of his former teams.
In league terms, the Toffees boast an unblemished record against the Welsh side, unbeaten in 18 previous meetings, winning 13.
That record would remain flawless in all competitions were it not for a Capital One Cup defeat in September; a result that provided Swansea with a first-ever victory over Everton.
Garry Monk's side returned to winning ways in their most recent Premier League fixture, having seen a red hot start to the season cool, somewhat.
Everton won this fixture 3-2 last season, securing a domestic treble after a 2-1 away win and a 3-1 triumph in the FA Cup.
Here's a look at some of the key factors set to influence this contest.
Who Remains from the Capital One Cup Trouncing
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Swansea recorded a comprehensive 3-0 win in the Capital One Cup just five-and-a-half weeks before this fixture.
Were Everton to field a similar side, that might hand a psychological advantage to the Swans, though it seems unlikely many of the Toffees' XI will feature.
From that night's line-up, only Tim Howard, Antolin Alcaraz and Samuel Eto'o seem poised to start.
Swansea also rotated their options that night, but still fielded a team including Jonjo Shelvey, Ashley Williams, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Nathan Dyer. As many as seven could realistically start this game.
With such changes, Everton will be more confident about achieving revenge and maintaining their dominance over Swansea.
A Rare Preparation Advantage for the Toffees
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For one of the first times this season, Everton have substantially longer to prepare for a fixture than their opponent, ironically due to Swansea's victory in the Capital One Cup.
With regular Thursday-Sunday Europa League turnarounds, Martinez will appreciate a full week on the training ground, and will have used it to focus on his side's fluency on the ball.
Everton are yet to appear completely functional in their possession game this season, achieving phases of success, instead of any halves or entire games of dominance.
A full week of preparation should lead to improvements and some more sustained periods of cohesion, especially against a side only afforded Wednesday to Saturday for preparation.
Everton's Grip on Gylfi Sigurdsson
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Gylfi Sigurdsson seems a natural fit at Swansea. The Iceland international has orchestrated most of their attacks since his return this season and is an obvious source of danger for the Toffees.
He currently has seven assists in nine games while the rest of Swansea's roster have just three combined. Clearly, if Martinez's side can smother his influence, the visitors will be creatively handicapped.
Looking to reduce that threat will be Gareth Barry and James McCarthy, who must hustle the midfielder and limit his combination play with Wilfried Bony.
The Swansea pair have the chemistry to trouble Everton's back four and McCarthy and Barry must disrupt their attacking interplay at every turn.
This will be one of the key matchups in this clash.
Everton's Attacks from out Wide
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Monk will field two of Dyer, Wayne Routledge and Jefferson Montero out wide; attacking players who each love to bomb forward and trouble their opposing full-backs.
Facing Everton, though, these players will find two of the most attacking full-backs in England, in Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman, and both defenders will demand these attackers spend long periods tracking back.
If they don't, Swansea will leave too much room for the Toffees to exploit out wide.
Baines is in particularly rampant form at present, with eight assists and two goals in his past 10 games (in all competitions), which is simply outstanding for a defender.
Ross Barkley may also be used in a wider role, allowing Martinez to accommodate the good form of Samuel Eto'o and Steven Naismith in more central areas.
The youngster grabbed two winning goals against Swansea last season and is another threat to the visitors' defence.
Statistics via WhoScored.com
