Gana’s drop-off is becoming a problem

It was going to happen eventually.

Idrissa Gana Gueye continues to defy his age, but at 36, after a draining — and successful — Africa Cup of Nations campaign in which he played 660 minutes, a tally bettered by only two other outfielders — it looks like Father Time is starting to catch up with the midfielder.

In fairness, it has perhaps been a slower decline than a sharp one but, since Gueye returned from Afcon, there is no doubt the former Paris Saint-Germain star looks short of his best.

Yet he has played all but 15 minutes, with David Moyes throwing him straight back into the team against Leeds United, despite Merlin Röhl and Harrison Armstrong having previously performed excellently in a win over Aston Villa.

While it is entirely understandable that Moyes wanted one of his mainstays back in the team, and there is no doubt Everton had missed Gueye during his absence, it did seem as though the Scot may have stumbled upon a template that worked in the middle.

Throw in the fit-again Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, but keep a 4-3-3 shape. Allow James Garner to sit, but give each of the three in midfield licence to interchange.

Gueye did not need to be put straight back in and then, especially, he did not need to be a permanent fixture. Ease him back in. 

Instead, Moyes has, essentially, flogged him. The gaps in midfield were there against Leeds, Brighton, Fulham (in the first half especially) and Bournemouth.

Garner has suffered, too. It seemed he was relishing the opportunity to take more responsibility but, since Gueye’s return, it has all seemed muddled, with each of them trying to do the same job, yet managing to not do any of it.

It really is a worry, and Moyes’s stubbornness is becoming infuriating.

Gueye is the last player in this Everton squad who should be hung out to dry. His levels of his 6½ years at the club, across two spells, have been nothing short of superb.

But time waits for no man and Gueye’s numbers are drastically down from last season. And that isn’t just because Everton are playing differently.

Last season, Gueye led the Premier League for tackles attempted and tackles won. The Senegal international averaged 3.9 tackles per 90 and completed 2.3 of them.

This season, Gueye is down to 2.1 tackles per 90 and 1.0 tackles completed. There’s no denying the drop-off there.

Whereas Gueye has always had a tendency to just manage to be in the right place at the right time to nip in and win the ball, he is now looking just a step short. 

And Moyes isn’t helping. Tuesday was the perfect opportunity to rotate Gueye out. It doesn’t have to mean he is dropped, but it came on the back of him playing the full game at Fulham. A little breather, go with Armstrong, Röhl or Tim Iroegbunam in there, and let Garner pick up the slack.

Moyes is still far too reluctant to trust his squad. Before this round of fixtures, no Premier League team had made fewer substitutes than Everton. And we are starting to see why that becomes an issue.

Gueye does not deserve to be flogged. He does not deserve to be facing criticism. Because he can still be invaluable. But Everton need to have a succession plan. He may well not even be here next season, and it is doing nobody any good to keep pushing him to the brink.

This near two-week break, before Manchester United visit Hill Dickinson Stadium, will help Gueye, but in the meantime, Moyes has to wake up and smell the coffee, too.

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