da dobrowin： Everton will have to decide whether they want to sign Djibril Sidibe on a permanent basis at the end of the season when his loan spell comes to an end, but he has hardly done himself any favours following his performances in recent games, and especially against Brighton and Hove Albion.
da pinnacle： The Toffees signed the Frenchman on a season-long temporary deal during the summer transfer window, with an option to buy the 27-year-old on a permanent basis.
The right-back suffered from injury in the early stages of this season and struggled to get past Seamus Coleman in the pecking order when he was fit, but a run of four assists in seven Premier League appearances between November and Boxing Day showed what he is capable of – at least from an attacking point of view.
At that point you may have felt that he was in a good position to arrive at Goodison Park on a permanent basis – and FFC even suggested that Ancelotti would have been impressed with him in the early days of his managerial career – but it has been a different story in his previous three outings.
The France international struggled in the away matches against Manchester City and Liverpool, playing in a wing-back role with Coleman behind him as a right-sided centre-back.
Two defeats saw Ancelotti go back to basics and a four-man defence against Brighton on Saturday, and it was Sidibe who got the nod at full-back – however, he once again flattered to deceive.
Firstly, his defensive positioning isn’t as good as it should be – as you can see from his heat map as per WhoScored – and suggests he could actually be better playing further up the pitch, while he failed to make a single interception against the Seagulls, according to SofaScore.
He also failed to win any of the four aerial duels he contested, failed to produce any accurate crosses from the six he attempted, and gave away possession a total of 21 times – four more than any of his Everton teammates.
He may have been part of a defence that kept a clean sheet against Graham Potter’s men, but it was a display that only raised doubts over whether he would be a good buy for the Toffees.
Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?
The last thing the Merseyside club need is another inconsistent player in their ranks, and the last couple of months have suggested the 27-year-old is exactly that.
On this display, they can do much better.
In other Everton news, Carlo Ancelotti has suffered a major blow in his bid to bring £35m-rated star to Goodison Park…