View: Everton struggler may not be a lost cause after all, stats vs Man City prove he has fight

Everton outcast Merlin Rohl may have made a positive impression after Everton’s 3-3 draw to Manchester City on Monday.

The Blues had plenty of positives to take from the draw against Man City, despite conceding late, as Rohl was one of them.

David Moyes revealed that Idrissa Gana Gueye picked up a small knock in training, which prompted the Everton boss to make a midfield change.

The Toffees had to set up in a rather negative manner to combat Pep Guardiola’s side, and to some extent, it worked a treat.

Rohl had a good performance when taking into account all of the context, with his permanent Hill Dickinson stay already unofficially confirmed.

Merlin Rohl’s performance vs Man City requires context

Rohl was blasted for ball-watching against Man City by former Everton star Andy Hinchcliffe, but at no point was the German purely to blame for any of the goals conceded.

If anything, the midfielder should have won the penalty that would have most likely sealed the win for the Blues before extra time, but Michael Oliver deemed Bernardo Silva not guilty for a WWE-like foul.

Rohl actually registered an assist on the Fantasy Premier League app, as his deflected shot rolled into the path of Thierno Barry, who tucked away his second and Everton’s third of the game.

The 23-year-old had a passing accuracy of 67 per cent, and chipped in at the back with five defensive contributions.

The Frieberg loanee only won 17 per cent of his ground duels, and was dribbled past twice, showing his lack of Premier League experience.

However, Rohl gave it his all, and never looked fazed by the opposition, despite being practically abandoned by Moyes for the last three months.

Nobody would have expected the player to have had a good game when seeing his name on the teamsheet before kick-off, but he did well when factoring in all the adversity he’s faced so far.

This is the perfect chance for Rohl to start again

Rohl was played in a wide right midfield role instead of Dwight McNeill, who has been poor in recent performances.

The midfielder proved that he had the willingness to run and fight for the badge against Man City, and needs a run of games to get used to the Premier League.

A player will never adapt to the demands of the top-flight if they never get a fair crack at nailing down a first-team spot.

Rohl has talent, but Moyes needs to double down and go for it by playing him more in these last three matches of the season.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.

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