Everton Predicted XI vs Tottenham: Jack Grealish Set to Start
Everton head to north London with scars. One goal in their last five league visits to Tottenham tells its own story. Different managers, different squads, same problem: they rarely land a punch here.
History doesn’t decide this one. But it does hang over it.
Moyes strips it back
David Moyes has gone back to basics this week. No grand statements, no drama, just work. Those around the camp talk about players and staff “mucking in” – a throwback phrase that fits the mood. Everton’s start has been mixed, the noise outside constant, so the manager has chosen calm.
He will know what this fixture usually brings. Tight spells. Long chases without the ball. A single mistake punished. And yet, for once, the pressure sits more heavily on the home dugout.
Tottenham’s stuttering start
Tottenham arrive in this game under a harsh spotlight. More than £250 million spent in the summer, one point from three matches, no goals scored. That combination does not buy patience.
The numbers are brutal. A squad rebuilt, an attack yet to ignite, questions already circling. For Everton, it is a window. Not a guarantee of anything, but a chance to catch a heavyweight before it finds its rhythm.
Anyone expecting Spurs to simply crumble, though, has not watched this league for long. Teams with that much talent rarely stay quiet for ever.
Grealish changes the picture
The big Everton headline is Jack Grealish. Moyes confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the new signing is ready to start, and that immediately alters the feel of Everton’s front line.
Grealish brings control. He carries the ball through tight spaces, draws fouls, dictates tempo. He can slow the game when Everton need to breathe and then burst through the lines when they see space. For a side that has often struggled to keep the ball at Tottenham, that matters.
Midfield, though, is not fully settled. James Garner went off injured last week and there has been no clear update on his fitness. Christian Nørgaard is definitely out and is not expected back until after the international break. As it stands, he is the only confirmed absentee, but Garner’s status hangs over Moyes’ planning.
The rest of the squad is as expected. Jordan Pickford, Mark Travers and King are the goalkeeping options. At the back, Moyes can choose from Jarrad Branthwaite, Michael Keane, Jake O'Brien, James Tarkowski, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Nathan Patterson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
In midfield and attack, the pool is deeper on names than on experience: Harrison Armstrong, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Garner, Hayden Hackney, Merlin Röhl, Charly Alcaraz, Tyler Dibling, Tyrique George, Brennan Johnson, Grealish and Thierno Barry.
Predicted line-up: 4-1-4-1 again
All signs point to Everton sticking with the 4-1-4-1 shape used in pre-season. It gives them a solid base, an extra body in midfield and a clear out-ball to the wide players.
If Garner is not ready to start, Hayden Hackney is expected to anchor the midfield. He came off the bench last weekend and immediately lifted the tempo, sharper and more decisive than some around him. That cameo has probably earned him the holding role here.
Behind him, the back four almost picks itself. Pickford in goal. Mykolenko at left-back. Branthwaite and Tarkowski as the central pairing. Maitland-Niles likely to continue on the right, offering a bit more composure on the ball.
Ahead of Hackney, Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall and Röhl should provide the creative support. It is a trio with legs, passing range and the ability to carry the ball, which Everton will need if they are to break Tottenham’s press rather than simply clear their lines and hope.
Tyrique George has done enough to keep his place out wide. He has offered direct running and a willingness to take defenders on, traits Everton cannot afford to leave out. Through the middle, Thierno Barry is expected to lead the line, tasked with occupying centre-backs and making every scrap count.
Predicted XI:
Jordan Pickford; Ainsley Maitland-Niles, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitaliy Mykolenko; Hayden Hackney; Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Merlin Röhl, Tyrique George; Thierno Barry.
Bench looks thin again
The substitutes’ bench is likely to look light. That has been the reality of Everton’s season so far and is something Moyes will have to juggle carefully in a game that could demand fresh legs late on.
Travers, Keane and O'Brien provide defensive cover. Armstrong offers energy and pressing in the final third if Everton need to change the tone of the game. Alcaraz and Dibling can both inject a different rhythm in midfield, either by driving forward or taking more risks between the lines.
Brennan Johnson was quiet last weekend, but his motivation will be obvious if he is called upon, especially against a high-profile opponent. He remains one of the few on the bench who can genuinely stretch a game in behind.
Garner’s fitness could still reshape the options. If he is passed fit, Moyes gains another reliable midfielder and a set-piece threat. If he is not, there is little sense in forcing him back this early in the campaign.
Everton need more than honest work
Effort has never really been the problem in these fixtures. Everton usually run, tackle and scrap. They press in bursts, stay compact for long stretches and talk about “competing”. Then they leave with nothing.
That has to change.
At Tottenham, Everton must be organised and aggressive, but they also need to be ruthless. One clear chance may be all they get. Concentration in both boxes will decide whether this is another long, draining afternoon in north London or the day they finally rip up that miserable record.
If Grealish settles quickly and Hackney gives the side balance, Everton have a route into this game. The question now is simple: can they finally turn hard work into a statement result on a ground that has so often exposed their limits?
