Paul Merson predicts Leeds United vs Everton result in amid manager hunt struggles
Paul Merson has predicted Leeds United to possibly run over Everton but still come up short and suffer defeat at the weekend.
The Whites were widely expected to have a manager in place before the crucial relegation six-pointer at Goodison Park on Saturday (18 February), but as the search rumbles on with no solution in sight Michael Skubala will remain in caretaker-charge.
The Sky Sports pundit believes that it is a more important game for Sean Dyche’s Toffees and while he thinks the game could see the Whites in the ascendency he has tipped set pieces to be key in what he thinks could be a 2-1 Everton win.
In his Sportskeeda predictions column Merson said: “This is a massive game, and Sean Dyche has a job on his hands. This is a bigger game for Everton than it is for Leeds. Sean Dyche had two free hits against Arsenal and Liverpool, and I’m not sure they’ll cope when they’ve got to win a football match.
“I’m not sure how Leeds haven’t managed to find a manager yet. They’re one of the biggest clubs around, and they’re playing in the Premier League! They’ve been offering up to a hundred grand a week, and they still can’t find a manager.
“I watched Everton the other night, and they’ve got nothing up front. They’ve got to come and chase this game. I’ve seen them do it twice this season, and they’ve failed on both occasions. This is not a chasing team, and they don’t have the attack to win this game with only one player up front.
“If Everton sit back and work out a set play, they’ll have a chance this weekend. Leeds dominate matches and can’t score goals, but I do see them running over Everton in this game.”
More of the same
If Merson is right about the way this match goes and the Whites have the better of the play but still come away with nothing it will be like Jesse Marsch never went away.
Recent defeats at Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, the latter of which saw the American sacked, essentially followed that pattern, and with the search for his replacement proving to be an ordeal they might as well have kept him if the same happens on Merseyside.
The pair of performances against Manchester United under Skubala were encouraging however, and the point at Old Trafford was a good result even if it came after being 2-0 up.
There might have been a form of new-(caretaker)manager bounce involved in those meetings, so the real challenge will be now that the Leeds United man has been pressed into a longer period in charge.
Losing to teams around you is a good way to get stuck in a relegation battle, and while Everton snapped their winless run against Arsenal once Dyche took over from Frank Lampard the Whites have still not taken three points since before the World Cup.
Both teams will desperately want these points, so there is every possibility that they end up shared, but getting a long-awaited win at this point would lift a lot of uncertainty in West Yorkshire, especially in light of if the ongoing managerial situation.
Skubala could well work his way into the top job for the rest of the season if he puts a run of results together, but whoever is in charge needs to keep the club away from the bottom three.
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