‘Massive’… Jamie Carragher names who he thinks has become Everton’s most important player

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Everton have been under Jamie Carragher’s microscope once again on Monday Night Football.

The former Liverpool defender combed through the club’s calamitous recent history live on Sky Sports last night, both before and after they hosted Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

Certainly following the match he was blessed with a whole host of negative ammunition with which to attack the Toffees, after they put in an abysmal showing in which they once again relied on a late set piece to salvage a draw.

The pundit offered his view on everything from the 777 Partners takeover to the imminent appeal outcome, but would eventually turn his focus to a more positive note pre-match.

What Jamie Carragher said about Abdoulaye Doucoure

Carragher does seek to praise Everton when he can, even if he has been accused of allowing his biases to slip through in moments when impartiality would be preferred.

But, at the end of the day he remains an exceptional pundit, and his analysis of the sport remains a huge reason why he is one of the leading names in his field.

So, his opinion remains largely revered, even when speaking about the Toffees.

Chatting with former Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch and presenter Dave Jones, he sought to highlight one Everton player who he thinks they would be lost without: Abdoulaye Doucoure.

The 46-year-old noted: ‘He’s a massive player for them. Doucoure has just been a revelation for them since the new manager came in. If you remember at the end of Frank Lampard’s time at the club, whether there had been a fall out or something tactical, he basically couldn’t find himself in the team.

‘You look how dominant he is in this team since Sean Dyche came into the club, they haven’t won a game without him. He is a big provider of goals.

‘He is Sean Dyche and Everton’s probably most important player right now.’

How did Abdoulaye Doucoure play for Everton vs Crystal Palace?

Although Carragher’s sentiment is certainly true, last night marked an uncharacteristically poor showing from the 31-year-old.

However, that can certainly be excused, given he had made just one start in nearly two months before last night.

That being said, when he is off the boil it does prove pivotal because of all the reasons Carragher outlined. Much of Everton’s attacking threat is funnelled through his intelligence, physicality and goalscoring prowess.

He links the midfield to the attack and offers a key focal point when Dominic Calvert-Lewin is forced to chase loose balls out wide.

And yet, despite a showing in which he managed just 34 touches, maintained a miserable 67% pass accuracy and lost 50% of the two duels he competed in, he still had a golden opportunity to find the net anyway which he scuffed horrendously, via Sofascore.

So often he is the reliable man who scores those crucial goals, but a lack of sharpness clearly scuppered his efforts yesterday.

It is promising though to see him back starting games, and with time those chances will soon be getting converted once again.