Andre Gomes flourishing again as Abdoulaye Doucoure gives Everton fans what they want to see

Royal Blue: FA Cup presents realistic opportunity for Everton

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Everton managed to secure two big results away from home in the last week, with their midfielders playing a huge part in that.

Andre Gomes and Abdoulaye Doucoure were both excellent in helping Everton to an important win over Leeds United last Wednesday, before Tom Davies was added to the mix for an equally brilliant display against Manchester United on Saturday.

The former pair have had contrasting campaigns in some sense, but both have seemed right at the top of their respective games over the past few days.

And that was one of the topics of discussion for our latest Royal Blue podcast.

Adam Jones was joined by Dave Prentice, Gav Buckland and Chris Beesley to discuss the performances of Gomes and Doucoure and how influential they have proven to be.

Listen to the latest episode of the Royal Blue podcast in full HERE

Adam: Andre Gomes has looked back to his best over the last couple of games hasn’t he?

Dave: Yes he has!

We sat on these podcasts and thought, “Is that it? Is he never going to be the same player again after the injury?”.

But it’s been proven a little premature to think that. He’s looked great and influential, the moments that he’s impressing in games are making a real difference.

When you go to a place like Old Trafford you can’t just have one or two players on top of their game, you need nine or ten players producing a seven-out-of-ten performance – and two or three producing eight-out-of-tens.

Andre Gomes is starting to do that again more consistently now, which is great.

I don’t want to tempt fate and say that he’s finally over all of his issues, but maybe again we didn’t appreciate quite how traumatic that was and how quickly he came back as well – because don’t forget it was a fairly miraculous return from what was a traumatic injury.

Maybe he did come back a little too quickly and it’s taken time to find his rhythm and his consistency, his stamina as well if you like.

He has now and he’s flourishing as a result.

Adam: I think, Gav, what’s impressed me most about his last couple of games has been his fitness and his physicality.

These have been two really intense away games against Leeds and Manchester United – but we’re seeing the old Andre Gomes of picking the ball up in midfield, shrugging off the challenge and running 30 yards with the ball or playing passes over the top.

We haven’t really seen all that from him in a little while have we?

Gav: No. That’s always been my problem with Gomes since he’s joined the club, is affecting the game at the top end of the pitch.

But, over the last few weeks, he’s made crucial contributions to three or four goals for us and yeah that’s great.

I thought Abdoulaye Doucoure played well on Saturday too, I thought the three of them actually had good games – Tom a bit better than that, by being very good.

It was very good to see the three of them functioning together as well as individuals.

Andre, we’ve said a million times before, when he has the ball that’s his strength. When he’s not got it, he can sometimes be a liability, for me.

But yeah it’s really good to see him popping up, looking confident and strong.

He’d had a few games where he’d come on as a substitute and done reasonably OK, but the last two matches have been excellent, certainly away from home.

He worked hard on Saturday, I thought. And that’s good to see.

There’s a bit of a selection issue maybe for Carlo Ancelotti in a few weeks, hopefully at least! We’ll have five or so players looking for maybe three places in the side.

But well done to Andre again on Saturday.

Adam: Gav’s read my mind there in mentioning Doucoure. It was a goal and assist for him and that’s what we want to see isn’t it?

Especially or the first goal he had the desire and intelligence to get up and suport Calvert-Lewin, to then be in the right place at the right time to finish it off.

Chris: That’s what he does, he’s a box-to-box midfielder and that’s what Everton have lacked in recent years.

As you say when Calvert-Lewin put that ball across the area, there he was after a lung-busting run to make sure he was onto De Gea’s save.

I think it’s been telling, we’ve been talking about selection issues and we hope to have competition in every area, but Carlo Ancelotti has been able to shuffle his pack a lot in recent weeks – but the one real mainstay that he seems to pick regardless is Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Apart from that one game he was suspended, he’s been more or less ever-present – even popping up and scoring the winner in the FA Cup when needed.

He’s been the real legs to the team all season. When those signings were made last summer, Allan was seen as the defensive shield and James Rodriguez was the glamour signing.

You could under-play Doucoure as the third part of that trio, but in many ways he’s arguably been more influential than those two – certainly on a consistent week-to-week basis.

He’s brought that something extra, and you can see why Everton had pursued him for so long. He does offer something different in that midfield.