Everton are straight back in action again tonight, as they travel to Newcastle United seeking to finally end their torrid winless streak.
Having not tasted victory in the Premier League since their mid-December triumph at Burnley, a trip to St James’ Park is unlikely to offer the easiest location for such a turnaround.
However, such is the nature of this odd fixture, it does feel like anything could happen.
Sean Dyche will want to put out the strongest possible side to capitalise on an injury-riddled outfit, but will also want to mitigate against any potential liabilities within his squad.
As such, perhaps he could take a leaf out of Carlo Ancelotti’s book…
Carlo Ancelotti dropped Jordan Pickford vs Newcastle United
Entering November during the 2020/21 season, the legendary Italian boss was enjoying a stellar start to his first full campaign in Royal Blue.
His side were chasing European spots, and he was in a similar position to tonight’s as his side made the trip to Tyneside.
Wanting to ward off any potential blunders in such a tense affair, Jordan Pickford stood out as the man most likely to buy into the Sunderland-Newcastle United rivalry and make an error.
As such, Ancelotti dropped him, instead opting for Robin Olsen.
Although Everton would still lose that night, it has made it clear just how impactful the Geordie crowd has been over the years on the £30m star.
Joao Virginia has impressed for Everton this season
And whilst Pickford has matured since then, coming on leaps and bounds as a goalkeeper, perhaps tonight might mark a smart opportunity to mimic that move.
After all, he has endured a torrid week in all honesty, making his first error in an England shirt against Belgium, before suffering from another shaky display in Saturday’s loss to AFC Bournemouth.
Fortunately for Dyche, Joao Virginia offers a more than viable alternative, with the Portuguese shot-stopper having deputised well when called upon.
The 24-year-old kept two clean sheets against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, and could do little about his side’s profligacy and inability to stop Luton Town from dumping them out in the next round.
And it was not like he did nothing either, being called upon with some regularity and not backing down.
He has proven himself a more than capable stand-in, and therefore could emerge now to copy Ancelotti’s 2020 decision again here against Newcastle United.