Carlo Ancelotti must recall Allan to the Everton starting line-up for Monday night’s Premier League clash with top four rivals Chelsea.
The Toffees travel to Stamford Bridge following back-to-back wins against Southampton and West Bromwich Albion this week, which saw the Goodison Park natives move fourth in the table before Thomas Tuchel’s Blues beat Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday.
Allan featured from the off in Everton’s narrow 1-0 win at home to Southampton on Monday night before being benched at The Hawthorns, where his energy and determination was profoundly missed throughout the first half.
Ancelotti had sought to afford the £21m summer signing from Serie A side Napoli a rest away to Sam Allardyce’s relegation-threatened Baggies, having been keen to manage his £70,000-per-week enforcer’s workload after the 30-year-old made his first start since December against the Saints.
Allan had been sidelined for two months after sustaining a hamstring injury away to Leicester City on December 16, but showed no signs of rustiness on his return to action at home to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s St Mary’s natives.
“I think he was in good condition, motivated, wanted to play,” Ancelotti said after the game, via quotes in the Liverpool Echo. “We have to take care a little bit after two months out, but his performance was really good, as usual. His consistency is really high and always at the top.”
Ancelotti sorely missed that presence in his engine room during the first half at West Brom on Thursday and wasted little time after the break before introducing Allan from the bench, to see the 10-cap Brazil midfielder do what he always does by keeping it simple and keeping Everton in control.
Only Lucas Digne (32) and Andre Gomes (25) took more touches for the Toffees than Allan (24) during his 32 minutes on the field at The Hawthorns, per WhoScored, as he set out to instigate Ancelotti’s plan to perfection.
“Allan coming on was probably about getting on the ball and getting us playing, sit in there and dictate us going forward – and then probably me to create or score a goal because it was 0-0,” Gylfi Sigurdsson, who assisted Richarlison’s winner, said after the game.
Ancelotti must now recall Allan to his starting line-up for a third appearance in eight days when Everton visit Chelsea on Monday night, as the Italian tactician can ill-afford to allow the Blues a single chance to set the tone in the game.
The Stamford Bridge outfit are resurgent under Tuchel, winning seven of their 10 games played under the former Paris Saint-Germain head coach and drawing the other three, while appearing solid as a rock just two months on from being a side brimming with insecurities under Frank Lampard.
Liverpool found that out the hard way as they became the latest scalp taken after results against Atletico Madrid and Manchester United last month, with the defending Premier League champions restricted to a single shot on target while playing at home.
Chelsea were not perfect at Anfield and did not take their chances to punish the Reds more, but made it count and saw that Tuchel stated: “This is a brave team and in big games, they show up.”
Monday’s clash at Stamford Bridge is a huge game for Everton’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, on a night when Ancelotti needs his biggest, bravest and best players – like Allan – front and centre of the stage pulling the strings in the Toffees’ favour.
AND in other news, Everton can sign a £13.5m-rated brute Carlo Ancelotti thinks is “excellent” for free…
