Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has backed Rafa Benitez to implement a shakeup of his tactics at Everton to accommodate the absence of Andros Townsend.
The former England international was hauled off on the 75th minute the 2-0 win over Norwich City in which the new Everton ace scored a first-half penalty to put his team in front.
However, this was not at all due to injury – as Benitez explained after the full-time whistle, Townsend was simply jaded and in need of rest having featured heavily in Everton’s opening six games of the campaign.
As quoted by the Liverpool Echo, Townsend was ‘exhausted’ and for good reason; the 30-year-old tops the charts at Everton this season in terms of combined goals and assists.
As per Transfermarkt, he has also featured in eighty percent of all possible minutes available to him in the Premier League since signing on a free transfer following his release from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace in the summer.
Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson has backed a tactical overhaul at Everton in order to let the experienced winger rest up ahead of future games when Everton take on Manchester United at the weekend.
The former England international claimed:
“They are pretty thin on the ground at the moment.
“The Man United game is going to be a big ask for them. It’s going to be high-tempo and high pressure.
“Townsend was a signing that surprised me but I think he has done really well so far.
“Will Benitez rest him? I don’t know if he can afford to rest him because of the squad that he has got.
“Could he shuffle his pack and play a brand new system? That’s a possibility.“
Read Everton Verdict
Townsend and his direct contributions are quickly singling him out as a shrewd acquisition.
However, with his age and work rate comes an inevitable question of fatigue management, and Benitez made a big call in taking off a star performer early to accommodate rest.
With Manchester United looking to be a difficult fixture on paper as a star-studded Solskjaer side chase Champions League football, resting Townsend could make sense.
United have lost just once in their last five, but Everton match that record. In that sense, Everton will feel buoyed with confidence as they take on the Red Devils.
