Talking points ahead of Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur | OneFootball

Everton will look to maintain their unbeaten run at their new home when they host Tottenham Hotspur at the new stadium on Sunday.

The hosts will be bolstered by the return of Jack Grealish, who missed the previous clash against his parent side, Manchester City, due to Premier League regulations. David Moyes’s side lost that game 2-0, with Erling Haaland coming alive in the second half and punishing the Blues for their missed chances in the first half.

Return to home base will be a big morale boost for the Toffees, who are yet to lose a game since moving into Bramley-Moore Dock this summer. Their last outing here was a memorable one with Grealish blowing the roof off the place with a 93rd-minute winner against Crystal Palace.

It was his first goal in royal blue since joining Everton on loan from Man City this summer to add to the four assists he’s registered already as he’s slowly rediscovering his best version on Merseyside.

Here are the major talking points before Everton take on Thomas Frank’s Tottenham this weekend:

Iliman Ndiaye is in some form

Iliman Ndiaye was one of the few bright spots in last weekend’s loss to Manchester City. The Senegalese was the best player on the pitch in the first half and constantly probed and asked questions of the City defence. He even set teammate Beto up with two glorious chances, but the Everton number nine failed to pounce on them.

Ndiaye has been in great form this season and has constantly created danger. Despite being moved to the right flank following Grealish’s arrival, he has adapted to his new role almost seamlessly.

The 25-year-old relies on his quick footwork and trickery to avoid the attention from his markers and is often darting into dangerous positions to create chances or finish moves. Ndiaye, who top-scored with 11 goals in all competitions last season, has scored thrice in the Premier League so far. He will definitely be one of the players to watch out for at Hill Dickinson Stadium this weekend.

Return of Jack Grealish expected to lift the attack

Jack Grealish will fancy returning to the field in front of the home fans at Bramley-Moore Dock. It was here that Grealish opened his scoring account with the Toffees - a last-gasp winner to end Crystal Palace’s unbeaten streak is certainly one way to endear himself to Evertonians.

After missing the clash against his parent side Man City last weekend, Grealish’s return will be a welcome boost to the Everton attack. Grealish, the Premier League player of the month for August, also creates big chances by the dozen and he’ll lift the creative burden off Ndiaye’s shoulders and provide greater balance between the left and right flanks.

Should David Moyes trust Seamus Coleman more?

Seamus Coleman has played just two minutes of Premier League football all season, which is a little surprising given how great he looked for Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Armenia during the recent international break.

The decision is also perplexing given that the incumbent right-back Jake O’Brien, often leaves a lot to be desired and has a tendency to fade during the second halves of games. He’s also not the best option going forward and in helping Everton build up from the back.

While Coleman is no spring chicken anymore, he’s still got heaps of quality and experience, which Moyes should look to utilise more in shorter bursts or extended cameos going forward.

With Branthwaite now confirmed to be out for an even longer period, playing Coleman will also allow O’Brien to slot in at centre-back to relieve some of the work rate off James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, who have played every game so far this season.

Need to keep a close eye on Mohammed Kudus

Everton defenders will need to keep a close eye on Mohammed Kudus, who’s arguably the most dangerous threat for Tottenham Hotspur. He’s registered five assists in eight matches this season and has been a revelation for Spurs since signing from West Ham this summer, a sentiment that was echoed by his former manager.

"He has great strength, great balance, can't knock him off the ball. He can play inside or outside, he can play several positions if you want him. He is just finding his form at Tottenham. I see him doing lots of things whether that is scoring or creating goals,” Moyes said in his pre-match press conference.

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I have a feeling we will win this one, but I think we are going to need to score 2 goals.

They are a very decent side and have scored 14 goals to our 9, so it's going to be a difficult game against possibly the best manager in the League.

The neutral view is:- Everton 11/8. Spurs 2/1. 11/5 Draw approx odds.

So we are fancied to win the game but for it to be a tight one.

I'm going for a 2-1 win, it's time we scored a few.

If we have a go at this lot, we will beat them. They have a couple of wallies in the defence, and Grealish and Co should take advantage of that.

Beto or Barry? Either one, by law of averages, are due to score, but I think it's about time Moyes listened to me. I've been saying play a false 9 set up with no recognised striker.

Let any of the forwards take that spot when the chance comes, they are all better on the ball and at finishing than Beto or Barry.

Right-back is the worry: against Man City, twice O'Brien was pulled central and left the full-back slot empty; he's a centre half and will naturally go to his position. Play Coleman against Spurs.

I hope we don't do this old, first half bad, second half good against this lot as we will slip up. As Raymond says, 2 - 1 to the boys in Royal Blue.

Right-back is indeed a problem, but not as much as centre-forward.

Time to give a series of starts for the youngster, as yet unproven, scored lots where he was before, and is good in the air, and has good movement……

Rather than the frustrating and underwhelming, tried and found wanting, poor in the air, with poor movement and ambles round like a tourist alternative.

Ralph Basnett 7 Posted 26/10/2025 at 06:37:28

I would start Barry; if Moyes sees something in him, that first goal might be the one to start something.

Beto is about as much use as a pair of boobs to a nun.

I hope Moyes has some sort of plan apart from his usual sit back and play on the break approach against 'big' Champions League clubs.

In my opinion, we need to be more proactive and versatile in our approach. Especially in targeting opposition weaknesses.

Take the RS's recent implosion. It was obvious to anyone who had watched them the back end of last season into the start of this that it was coming. Their defence is creaking, especially exposed against a high line and direct balls into the box. The midfield can be easily by-passed on the transition.

Yet we just sat back and did nothing in the first half, allowing them control and the inevitable. We need more than this tired and hackneyed approach, especially at home.

Got no axe to grind with Moyes (overall, he's a decent manager), but he does need to widen his approach and be more fluid at times.

Liam, you are totally right. However, our lack of pace and width makes it extremely difficult to do what you are suggesting.

Unfortunately, our strange summer recruitment leaves us with some talented players, but less equipped to take on the big boys than some teams with possibly inferior players but the pace and width to stretch opponents.