You absolutely have the love the response here from Everton manager David Moyes, this past Friday, when a reporter asked him about the availability of central defenders Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski for the following day’s match with at Arsenal:
“I am not sharing anything with you, you have named the changes already! We are missing two centre-halves today, but we have also got two who have done really well for us as well.”
Everton vs Chelsea FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. March 21, 5:30pm, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, UK
Team News for Both Sides: Chelsea Part 1 Chelsea Part 2 Everton
Google Result Probability: Chelsea win 46% Draw 26% Everton 28%
PL Standing : Everton 8th, 43 pts Chelsea 6th, 48 pts
PL Form Everton WWLWD Chelsea DDLWL
Everton Team News
Well, there you go! Moyes with some classic Scottish candor there! He’s also right; it’s not in his interest to put all the injury/fitness news out there. Branthwaite has a thigh problem while Tarkowski is dealing with an unspecified issue. Both face late fitness tests in order to feature against Chelsea on Saturday.
Maybe they miss out here and then just rest over the international break?
Elsewhere Charly Alcaraz, who has been out since February, is on pace to return here. Or at least the injury timeline that Moyes expressed publicly on February 27 would indicate his possible return on Saturday.
And then finally, Tyrique George is ineligible to play here, due to Chelsea being the loanee’s parent club.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.