At the weekend plenty of Everton fans finally got their wish. Gylfi Sigurdsson was dropped to the bench after weeks of lacklustre displays in the attacking midfield position.
As described by The Observer brilliantly last week, Marco Silva developed a ‘blind spot’ over the Icelandic international.
Despite fans and pundits consistently lamenting the performances of the playmaker, Silva kept picking him.
Against West Ham that streak came to an end and to masterful effect. Everton looked a far more cohesive and dynamic threat and went on to beat the Hammers 2-0. Sigurdsson scored the second goal with a trademark finish from long-range.
What Silva has now stumbled on is the perfect way to use Sigurdsson.
He has been struggling to have an impact in games from the start. When the pace is high, the football match seems to pass Sigurdsson by. Given his age and previous attributes that should not be a surprise.
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However, coming on in the second-half could work perfectly for Sigurdsson. The game opens up and starts to be played at his pace. It creates situations like at the weekend, where Sigurdsson could pick the ball up 25 yards out and shift onto his favoured right foot. In that situation, there is usually only one outcome.
Hopefully, Silva has now got over his blind spot and Sigurdsson’s goal does not see him automatically called back into the starting XI.
Instead, he should be used as a powerful impact sub, when the game is perfect for his style of play.